Hi Everyone,
I’m joining you for your morning cup of coffee. This time of day can often feel overwhelming when we think of the TO DO list we left for ourselves yesterday. Let’s face it, most lists are tedious and require effort to read let alone scratch off what you’ve completed.
I’ve started to practice a new approach to my morning list writing. The first 3 lines have changed.
1. take a minute to step outside, take a deep breath in and out, and truly look at my surroundings.
2. think of one positive moment from yesterday…there is ALWAYS one.
3. promise myself to ‘look’ for one today.
Our days are long and difficult. There are moments we’re unaware the calendar dates have changed. Let’s face it, the motivational sayings for achievement don’t come with a warning label for tenacity. A friend reminded me, “To accomplish anything worthwhile frequently requires doing the same thing, over and over again and again”…I pointed out this quote also defines INSANITY! As only a true friend can clearly redirect, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again without seeing any change”; Touche! That was the catalyst to our new ‘get back to basics’ approach. Consider it ‘whipped cream’ for our coffee.
Corey’s routine can seem tedious for both of us. After 4 1/2 years it feels like mile 10 in a marathon; not quite half way and we’re not sure where the finish line is because no one showed us the map of the course. “They” just told us to start running, we’d find our way.
When we start the day with our new ‘basic’ approach, we might not know where the finish line is but we can certainly see how far we’ve already traveled. Just in the last 5 months, we are noticing her path continues to curve yet it’s added new lanes!
The Bryn Mawr team has been pushing Corey to try more challenging exercises and she’s cooperating!
Anne, OT, tested her physical strength with a grip test. She squeezed a clamp measuring 40lbs with her right hand and 20lbs with her left. Corey has begun working with her left hand. Lifting a water bottle, stacking cones, holding a spatula to sauté her culinary creations at home. She’s using her left hand to grip/stabilize her shirt as her right hand maneuvers the fabric to dress herself.
Natalie, PT, continues to work her magic. Balance exercises has increased Corey’s hip, leg strength. Corey has been standing longer and now (holding onto a grab bar) can lift her left leg 2″ to toe tap targets positioned in front and to her side. The right leg is at 6″. I never liked the childhood song “Hokie Pokie” until now!
The Bryn Mawr team has also noticed Corey’s increased awareness and attention. That is the direct result in her work with Dr. A weekly. The ladies have begun “Brain Games”. A computer program that has not only increased attention span but mental response time. Corey can now concentrate on a task for 25 minutes before she fatigues. The assorted games will eventually (we hope) improve short term and long term memory, analytical thinking, multi-tasking and problem solving. The ladies are also beginning to ‘discuss’ Corey’s anxiety and fears. This has helped me, Caitlin and our nursing staff tremendously. Corey does not remember her conversations but has enabled Dr. A to give us suggestions as to how we can better understand the origin of the outbursts, as well as how we can reassure Corey to work through her emotions.
Sometimes we become so familiar with our routine and coping strategies, that we forget how important they are. We can’t afford to ignore the basics as we start each day. My friend reminded me ‘significant results come from the most tedious efforts’.
Remember the basics…add whipped cream to your morning coffee; they are the healthy calories to start your day. xoxo