HAPPY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” 2 ME,
HAPPY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” 2 ME! LOL 🙂

EACH YEAR, IT GETS HARDER 2 REMEMBER MY AGE & THE ACTUAL DAY OF MY BIRTHDAY (THIS IS LIKE ADMITTING A BIG SIN, IF U KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLIDAYS 4 ME). AT TIMES, I THINK I’D 4GET AN OCCASIONAL BIRTHDAY, IF IT WASN’T 4 MY KIDS! LOL

MARCH 16TH IS MY “STROKE-A-VERSARY,” IF U WILL. IT IS THE DAY I WAS “RE-BORN,” &, LIKE MY BIRTHDAY, IT IS GETTING HARDER 2 REMEMBER, & I HAVE 2 “DO THE MATH.”

2DAY MARKS 7 YEARS SINCE MY STROKE, & I COULD LOOK AT THINGS 1 WAY, & FEEL DISAPPOINTED THAT IN 7 YEARS I’VE ONLY ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH—LESS THAN A 7 YEAR OLD LEARNS IN 7 YEARS! THEN, MY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” COULD BE A SAD DAY, BUT I KNOW THAT I WASN’T SUPPOSED 2 LIVE, OR DO ANYTHING THAT I’M DOING, SO EVERYTHING I CAN DO, IS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT 4 ME!

SPEAKING OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS: USUALLY, IF I HAVE A NEED, I RING A WIRELESS DOORBELL 4 HELP (THE # OF RINGS SAYS WHO IT’S 4). LAST WEEK, I WAS BLOCKED IN A HALLWAY, & DECIDED 2 TRY 2 CALL 2 MK A FEW DOORS DOWN FROM ME, 4 HELP. IF HE DIDN’T HEAR, I COULD REVERT 2 RINGING…& IF HE HEARD, BUT COULDN’T UNDERSTAND, HE COULD COME THERE (I’M NOT THAT CLEAR, SO I TEND 2 SIMULTANEOUSLY SIGN THE WORD, OR BEGINNING LETTER, & HE WOULDN’T HAVE THAT ADVANTAGE). BUT HE HEARD & UNDERSTOOD JUST FINE, & A MINI CONVERSATION FOLLOWED (WHERE I SAID OK, YES, & NO), WITH HIM IN A ROOM NEARBY, & ME IN A HALL! SO FUN! I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN YEARS!

TALKING HAS MADE ME SOOO HAPPY! WHEN I HAVE TROUBLE SPEAKING, MY “LEVEL OF HAPPINESS” CONSIDERABLY DROPS…CRAZY, BECAUZ I THOUGHT I WAS HAPPY AT THAT PREVIOUS “LEVEL!” THERE ARE PLENTY OF TIMES THAT I NEVER MENTION, WHEN I SPEAK, & I’M NOT UNDERSTOOD, WHICH IS FINE W/ME! THERE’S A SATISFACTION IN JUST SAYING IT, VERSUS IT STAYING IN MY HEAD! IT’S FAR WORSE 2 KEEP IT IN MY HEAD, VERSUS NOT BE UNDERSTOOD! AT LEAST IT’S “OUT THERE!”

W/SIGNING, 1 OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS IS 2 NOT FINISH WHAT I’M SAYING—WHETHER IT WAS ON PURPOSE (LIKE BEING TOLD, “I KNOW MOM—U CAN STOP SIGNING NOW”), OR ON ACCIDENT (COMMAS ARE ALWAYS PERCEIVED AS PERIODS, & THEY WALK AWAY MID-SENTENCE!). OBVIOUSLY, I’M NOT HEARD OR UNDERSTOOD IF THAT HAPPENS. U’D THINK THERE WAS THE SAME FRUSTRATION W/TALKING, & NOT BEING UNDERSTOOD…BUT THERE’S NOT! WEIRD, HUH?!?