... Life After Traumatic Acquired Brain Injury...
patrick.goodacre@yahoo.co.uk
Welcome to my blog. I post on this, roughly once a week (it does vary). I sustained a 'Traumatic Acquired Brain Injury', and a six month coma from a 'road traffic accident' whilst cycling, in October 2006. I spent the following 4 years (22-26yrs old), in a combination of hospitals and rehabilitation homes. Now, I have been living independently in Surbiton, England since October 2010. This blog begun life in December 2010, as i realised that there are many people worldwide that i want to share experiences with. I know that, as a wheelchair user, I am obviously not as mobile as i wish, so, use the internet to connect to you. I enjoy letting my thoughts represent through type. I type honestly. As numerous readers, as well as email recipients, will understand, I find typing to be very therapeutic. Thank you :)
Please note that this website cannot be viewed 100% successfully everywhere. It is designed for optimum viewing on a screen of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
average per day ... 17 2015 ... 7, 443 2015 average per day... 20
Half a decade feels quite significant. It proves that I have been living independently (out of care), for longer than I had been living in both hospitals and rehabilitation homes!
I live alone, and my work is currently voluntary, and mostly done from home, for two causes that I believe strongly in. My social contact with everyone, is minimal, which is part of the reason I value my contacts and good friends, so highly. In a world dominated by ‘Social Media’, we do not exist now in the same way that we once did. Everyone adapts in different ways, everyone communicates in different ways, to different extents. C’est la vie!
Hello, it is THAT time of year! Not quite, but almost the birthday of this blog! 20th December 2015. FIVE YEARS!
It is also the period in which people review the year, especially highlights. I told you all last week that I will tell you my favourite album/artist of 2015.
Difficult.
For me there have been three key highlights, with difficulty at choosing one 'winner'.
Staves - ‘If I Was'
Marika Hackman - 'We Slept at Last'
Perhaps surprisingly, my winner is not a female vocalist. Electronic, orchestral Nils Frahm has helped open my ears to this alternative style.
Is there anything worse than fear? We can always think of positive elements, infinitely. As everything has an equal and opposite possibility, we can always consider negative possibilities, infinitely. As fear is always possible, there is nothing worse or more irrational than believing fear. Self-belief Is important. Everyone has it to some extent (else we wouldn't be here). Don't panic. Believe in yourself, your self-confidence will grow, the more that you do. Confidence will allow you to overcome the problem.
My mind…
Sometimes I just want to be ‘normal’. I want to be in a full-time job, earning a proper wage, living with a girlfriend/wife, scheduling one holiday a year, flying off, across the world. ‘Normal’ obsolescent extravagance!
I then realise how lucky I am, and how awful it would be to be ‘normal’. I am currently happy with my work. I do not earn, but life is all about NOW. Live in the moment, it can be pointless to desire/plan the future. Girlfriend/wife, hmmm, again something that i have got to accept that i cannot plan. We cannot define our own destiny. We must accept our fates, realising that we will inevitably, somehow, reach our destiny.
I have to tell myself off, sometimes. Everyone else is similar. I find that I surprise people by having certain good abilities myself. I am constantly setting targets, aiming for goals, as everyone does. It still disappoints me that i may attain less success than i did pre-injury. So I still keep my aims high (if not higher), than before. No-one knows. Only I know what I can achieve. This gives me my big self-confidence. If I know that I cannot, I won’t. If i believe that I can, no doubt, I will.
Monday, I journeyed to the gym, as ever, by bus. The K1 is a small, single-level bus. I always have to take plenty of time, positioning myself and wheelchair, in the space reserved for wheelchairs. I am 'professional' level, do it for a living, and was applauded by a member of passengers.
11/10 graded by fellow passenger
It's out! Published, printed, and used. :) Winter 2015
I am very lucky. I am allowed to work for what i believe in. I choose for whom I want to work for. The catch that everyone enforces, I don’t get paid! Fear not though, life is a vicious circle , everything equals.
'In nature there is no death, just a reshuffling of atoms.'
Top of the lake, episode 4
A super quote, by a super character in a super television drama series. I am not sure on the character's name, but as an older, experienced, wise woman, she is correctly followed by a big entourage, residents of 'paradise' (located a the top the lake).
At home in Surbiton, I pass a women who I have seen before. We greet, but then I am dumbfounded by her sorrowful face. She asks
'Doh, oooh
Er
Have you ever been to Lourdes?’
She meant no harm, and i believe it was quite the opposite, but to treat me so lowly and pathetically-in-need, just reflected so badly on her! :)
Olympic hero and sporting legend speaks such wise words...
It is that time of the year, when annual highlights are selected. I will choose my favourite album of the year (fun, fun, fun), in coming weeks. However, it is only by hearing of Guy Garvey's, on 6music, a new contender has appeared on my scene. I promoted the previous album by the same artist, earlier on this blog. 'Bashed out' is class!
This past week has involved my mind's attention diverted onto the huge global political situation that this country has felt itself embroiled in, 'military intervention' in Syria.
The infographic above was located on the Andree Frieze Facebook page, before the parliamentary decision of the following day. Andree is the South West London Green Party candidate for election to the Greater London Assembly (webpage: http://www.andree4southwest.london ).
The infographic was found on Facebook, on December 1st.
It also explains the biggest problem that I have with the parliamentary decision that has been made.
Two wrongs do not make a right
Both Russia and USA are already causing a vast amount of deaths, in which seems like a never-ending problem. I don't feel like involvement is going to make a positive effect. If anything, our involvement will surely add the UK onto their list of enemies/targets...
You cannot defeat hatred, with guns!
I do not think that warfare is the correct way at defeating a psychological concept/idea. It disappoints me that the majority of our MPs cannot see this as obvious. Warfare is always a bad negative, it only enhances the mentality of the opposition.
As ever, Caroline Lucas talks pure sense. She seems to be the only MP that does!
When asked to comment on QuestionTime (link below), she explains a big fear, ignored by seemingly everyone else.
We must learn to live accepting our fate, and be content. We are who WE ARE. We are all unique, be proud of yourself. No one else experiences your life. Use it the best way you see fit.
Thank you Giuseppina, for best espresso macchiato everrrrrr! :)
This morning gave me the ability of having complete assurance. I am experienced! I have travelled across London for a good cup of coffee. Amici is the best. I was able to select Stefano Vitali as my best Cappuccino barista, and now Giuseppina has made me the smoothest, tastiest macchiato! Thank you. Best cafe...
