Hi Everyone,

Corey has been struggling with her WHEN and WHY questions again. Unfortunately there are no answers except to remind her “this isn’t forever it’s just for now”.

A portion of today’s motivational quote from Ralph Marston is on point for us;

“You cannot turn the corner until you get to it. In order to create a breakthrough, you must lay the groundwork for it.”

“Real value is built with time, effort and commitment. Don’t cheat yourself out of that value by demanding instant results”.

‘demanding instant results’; how often during the course of a day do we impatiently wait and/or try to force the outcome of a process that is clearly open-ended?

‘you can not turn the corner until you get to it’; we can’t rush our arrival. what a perfect reminder to stop and remember what we do today will help us get to where we want to be tomorrow. we have to stay in the moment. somedays that means one minute at a time.

We made it to Bryn Mawr, despite Corey’s repeated declaration “just so you know, mom, I’m not ok with going there”.

Our conversation centers on another favorite word of mine “YET”. We highlight the dreams that will be realized because of the foundation of work she’s already achieved.

The pep talk leads to silence. I secretly hope the message will be processed and retained. I’m saddened by her memory loss. Corey can not appreciate her accomplishments which fuels her fear and anxiety.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Corey’s left arm extend toward a water bottle placed in the cup holder between us. More significantly, she’s not using her right arm to assist her left. My eyes dart from the road to her arm watching her deliberate motion. Corey grasps the bottle with her left hand, raises it from the cup holder, curls her wrist palming the bottle as if it were a hand weight. Her concentration filled the car with intense energy. She then proceeded to pull the bottle to her chest and fully extend her arm in a repetitive motion. She was using the water bottle as a 1 pound weight working her bicep. Pretending to be cavalier, I continued driving as I counted the repetitions; 15 in all.

When she was finished, she turned to me and said, “we need to tell Natalie what I did. I have more work to do to get back in the kitchen”.

Corey was ready. This afternoon we placed another wager for her timed distance record. Two weeks ago she completed 371 feet in 6 minutes. Today’s stake; a new scarf from Charming Charlie’s. Some would call it bribery, I call it motivation and I’m happy to lose!

Corey set a new personal best; 392 feet in 6 minutes using her arm cane. We asked her if she’d like to sit and rest as I ran back to get her wheelchair. She refused and asked if she could walk back. Natalie and I agreed if she was willing. Half way back to the main lobby, there is a small cluster of chairs. We asked Corey if she needed a break and wanted to rest.
C – I’m on a roll, you can’t stop me now!
She returned to the main lobby walking 784 feet without a break or a rest!

She finished her session with climbing up/down a flight of stairs along with a balancing trial that timed 1minute and 55 seconds. All of this was achieved with less then 3 hours sleep last night!

rebuilding with time, effort and commitment can make turning the corner seem like a mirage along an endless road until the YET redefines our direction and purpose.

Don’t you love the word YET? xoxo