Haven’t we all at one time dreamed jumping out of a window to trade in reality for a bit of an adventure?
Life changing illnesses or accidents can have an upside as often time people are brought closer together during a time of need. Relationships that may not have been too strong can suddenly flourish and ones that may have already been strong may become even stronger.
I observed this first hand this week during a conversation I had with another traumatic brain injury survivor. Doug (not his real name) was critically injured while cycling and he is now spending a great part of the day in therapy as he begins the rehabilitation process. He has a very strong support system of both family and friends, however, today when I stopped by his room he was alone.
This created the perfect opportunity to hear from him in an unscripted way, where he was open and vulnerable.
Doug has been happily married for 20+ years and he was very open to me in expressing that his wife has been by his side since this unfortunate accident. He told me she comes to visit him daily and makes it a priority to work visits in around her job. He had a sparkle in his eye when he spoke of her and said that he has a whole new sense of appreciation for the love of their marriage with all the compassion that she has shown him. He says the love in his heart for her now is very similar to how it was in the early stages of their married life when they were just starting out their new life together. Funny how life can sometimes come full circle as right now together they are also starting out on a new life together where they are deeply in love.
He also shared with me how proud he is of his daughter who is in her early 20’s and who comes to visit him each evening. He pointed to a book that was sitting on the shelf in his room and commented how each evening she reads a few pages of it to him as he lays in his bed (he has problems with his vision due to the injury and currently cannot read).
I marveled as I realized how their bond had been strengthened with the role reversal scenario that was now playing out and couldn’t help wondering just how many times he’d read to her when she was a little girl?
Interested in knowing what the book was about, I picked it up and went through it. The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasso is a story about a man who is about to celebrate his 100th birthday. He decides he doesn’t want to join in on the fun and he escapes through his bedroom window and makes a getaway. He begins his own journey and the book, recently turned into a movie, weaves through his adventure that includes criminals, crimes, a suitcase full of cash and incompetent police!
While I know Doug’s experience in the hospital won’t include the above (at least not I hope!), I immediately saw the similarities between the book and what he is going through. He is on a unique journey now, one that I am all too familiar with, and I know from my own experience it will include things that he likely never thought he’d never have to go through.
Have you ever felt like you’d like to go on a different journey in your life?
Image Credit: http://tipsygypsea.com
I must admit the idea of just jumping out of a window to escape to a different life, and forget about my current state, popped through my head many times after I’d sustained a traumatic brain injury. These thoughts didn’t come while I was in the hospital, as the days I can remember were filled with therapy sessions, but hit me hard when I was living at home and continuing with my rehabilitation as an outpatient. They would stay with me for many years as I continued on with my healing due mainly to the fact that I had broken my life down into two parts – pre and post accident. The comparison was never pretty. Thankfully these days are long behind me and I was able to get to a place where I truly embrace each and every day living in the present and loving every moment.
I sometimes feel that I now see the world through the eyes of a child. Every experience I have, every observation I see is with wonder, awe and amazement. When I look at a child I see that subconsciously, they have a security blanket that protects them from the “bad” things in life. They don’t have worries that pass through their minds, they have no responsibilities, no concerns, no big decisions to make outside of what toy they want to play with next. Life is so simple and carefree.
Having come close to dying, I am no longer afraid of it. I may be on earth for one more day or may be here for fifty years, I’ve learned it’s not in my hands.
Tweet: My time here is a journey, I live each day with a purpose and feel gratitude.
I start each day feeling honored and privileged that I have an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s just through a smile or a kind word to a stranger.
What three words come to your mind when you think of your own journey? Is there any experience you would like to pull into it?
I’d like to close with a quote in the book that really resonated with me when I look at my own journey:
“Allan looked at the bus and then at the suitcase, then again at the bus and then again at the suitcase. It has wheels, he said to himself. And there’s a strap to pull it by too. And then Allan surprised himself by making what – you have to admit – was the decision to say ‘yes’ to life.”
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