I'M A LIST-MAKER. EVEN MORSO NOW, BECAUSE A LIST SPEAKS 4 ME, IS MY EYES INTO A CONTAINER, & PROVIDES CLEARER ASSISSTANCE 4 ME.

BUT, I HAVE AVOIDED TYPING THIS SUGGESTED LIST, SINCE EVERY PRO HAS 1 OR MORE CONS, & I DIDN'T WANT A REMINDER OF THE CONS. BUT I HAVE LEARNED, AS A JOURNAL WRITER, THAT THE ONES THAT STICK, ARE THE 1'S THAT I TAKE TIME 2 TYPE, & I PREFER THE PROS 2 STICK , SO I LEARN THE PROS & KEEP THE PROS MENTALITY.

NOTICE THE LIST SHOWS WHY A STROJE WAS BENEFICIAL 2 ME—IT'D BE A WHOLE DIFFERENT LIST IF I SAID THE BLESSINGS I'VE RECEIVED EVER SINCE MY DIAGNOSIS 2 "JUST BLINK."

I USUALLY AVOID POSTING ON A TEARFUL DAY, SO I GUESS, THIS LIST IS MORE 4 ME 2 REVIEW THE LIST ON THOSE DAYS. BUT SINCE I AM OVER-DUE 2 POST, RATHER THAN TYPE A POST IN ADDITION 2 MY EVER-GROWING LIST (STARTED 12/26/07), THIS'LL NEED 2 SUFFICE (HERE'S A VERY SMALL TASTE):

BLESSINGS FROM A STROKE

"When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears." – Anthony Robbins
1. HANDICAPPED PARKING IN A BUSY LOT, ALLOWS MY ENTIRE FAM. 2 PARK UP FRONT
2. U R TREATED LIKE ROYALTY (U R FED, POTTIED, SHOWERED, ETC.)
3. GREAT DIET: U R FORCED 2 NOT SNACK. & IF U R LUCKY, U DON'T FEEL HUNGER & CAN SKIP OR DELAY MEALS EASIER
4. I CAN TALK W/A FULL MOUTH
5. I GET BIG CREEN TVS & A BIG SCREEN COMP. MONITER
6. WHAT MOM CAN PULL 3 ELEMENTARY-AGED KIDS IN A WAGON, AT ONCE, & NOT GET TIRED?
7. IT'S GREAT IF I CAN REACH 2 PICK MY NOSE
8. DON'T I STAY 30 YRS. OLD, SINCE I HAVEN'T BLOWN OUT B-DAY CANDLES, EVER SINCE I WAS 30?
9. I AM HILARIOUS, ACCORDING 2 ME & MY HEAD
10. I USED 2 FIGHT FOR AN HR. OR 2, TO BE ALONE IN MY DAY—EVEN COORDINATED NAPS & 2 ALLOW 4 IT & HAD QUIET TIME WHEN THEY R 2 OLD 4 NAPS–NOW I CAN HAVE THOSE 1-2 HRS. ALONE EASILY!
11. THERE IS A BEAUTY IN COMMUNICATING STRICTLY W/EMAIL—UNLIKE PHONE CALLS, U R NEVER INTERRUPTED & CAN RETURN THE MESSAGE WHEN IT'S CONVENIENT 4 ME!
12. DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING BECAME BIG AROUND THE SAME TIME, & RATHER THAN DABLE, I WAS FORCED INTO IT, & LOVE IT!

"Words come more readily to girls. Even as adults, men use fewer words than women. Studies have shown that, on average, women speak about 20,000 words in a day. Depending on the study, men use 7,000 to 10,000."I FOUND THIS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. BEING GENOROUS, I BET I TYPE LESS THAN 2,000 WORDS, &, ACCORDING 2 THIS STUDY, I THINK 20,000. YET, 2 MEN, WHO USE ½ OR LESS THAN ½ OF WHAT'S IN MY HEAD, I APPEAR WORDY, EVEN THOUGH I'M VERY BRIEF 4 A WOMAN. & IF I SIGN, I'M EVEN BRIEFER—OFTEN, ACTIONS ALONE HAVE 2 SUFFICE, OR 1 WORD NEEDS 2 BE TRANSLATED INTO A COMPLETE SENTENCE. I'M GENEROUS IF I SIGN A FULL SENTENCE, BUT I'M LIMITED TO 3 SENTENCES 4 THOSE LISTENING (IMAGINE HOW TIRED U'D BE MENTALLY, IF I SIGNED OUT EVERY LETTER OF THIS POST—SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER IF THOSE LETTERS R TYPED INDIVIDUALLY, BUT U CAN READ AT YOUR OWN PACE). I'VE ALSO FOUND THAT IF I'M THINKING 2 CONTRASICTORY THINGS (LIKE "WHAT A NEAT THING?" & "BUT "HOW DO I TURN IT ON?"), I HAVE 2 FORGO THE POSITIVE STATEMENT ("FLUFF," REALLY) , & ASK THE QUES. ("HOW DO I TURN IT ON?"), 2 EASE MY MIND.

IF I WERE 2 SIGN A FUNNY STORY, I MAY SIGN, "I DROPPED A JUNIOR MINT, & A FRIEND ATE IT!"

BUT MY HEAD THINKS THIS (LIMITED BY TYPING):
"AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE, I PUT A JUNIOR MINT IN MY MOUTH & TRIED 2 MOVE IT 4WARD 2 BITE IT W/MY FRONT TEETH. IT SHOT OUT OF MY MOUTH, WHERE A FRIEND HAD A PILE OF JUNIOR MINTS ON THE FLOOR!
I DIED LAUGHING, PRECISELY WHEN A BABY TOOTED, SO AT FIRST, SHE THOUGHT I TOOTED 2! BY THE TIME SHE FIGURED OUT WHY I WAS REALLY LAUGHING, IT WAS EATEN! THE REST OF THE NIGHT, IF I LOOKED AT HER, OR A JUNIOR MINT, I DIED LAUGHING!" (TRUE STORY)IT TAKES SOOO LONG 2 TYPE OR FINGERSPELL STUFF, SO IT’S FUNNY INITIALLY, BUT BY THE TIME I SAY IT, THE MOMENT HAS LONG SINCE PAST, SO I JUST GET A “COURTESY CHUCKLE.” MUCH I’VE RESORTED 2 JUST THINKING & APPRECIATING MY OWN HUMOR, & HAVING A “PERSONAL LAUGHING MOMENT.” WHEN I DO, & SUDDENLY LAUGH, MY CAREGIVER, CARA REPEATS A “FIA PHRASE”: "I’M THINKING SOMETHING FUNNY IN MY HEAD."

IT’S SUCH A BUMMER THAT MY HUMOR & WIT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAVE BEEN KINDA HIDDEN WITH EVERYONE (EXCEPT VIA EMAIL—BUT, EVEN THEN, I HAVE 2 BE CATIUOUS—ESP. IF I FEEL SARCASTIC, SINCE THERE'S NO TONE IN EMAIL, OR EVEN W/ASL, & A JOKE CAN BE READ AS JUST PLAIN MEAN). IT’S DIFFICULT CAUSE SO MUCH OF HUMOR IS IN TIMING & VOCAL INFLECTION, SO SOME OF IT IS KINDA LOST WHEN YOU HAVE TO FINGERSPELL IT OUT, LIKE, AS MY SISTER PUT IT SO WELL (& I FOUND IT ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!),: “F-S – OH WAIT, NOT S – A – R – T. LET’S SEE, F-A-R-T…. UMMM. OHH! FART! OH, THAT’S FUNNY. HAHA.” INSTEAD OF JUST HEARING AND LAUGHING.

PLUS, A LOT OF TIMES OTHERS EVENTUALLY OFTEN SAY A VARIATION OF THE FUNNY THOUGHT I ALREADY HAD, BUT DON'T SAY IT, BECAUSE I KNOW OTHERS GET BURNED OUT ON SPELLING (EVEN I DO), SO IF IT’S NOT SOMETHING I PHYSICALLY NEED, THEY WANT 2 MOVE ON. WHICH IS 2 BAD, REALLY, CAUSE THEY'RE MISSING "ME" THEN. BUT I CAN ALSO "HIDE" "ME," ESP. IF SIGNING IS 2 HARD, DUE 2 A "WEAK" DAY. UNFORTUNATELY, MOST DON’T TAKE (OR HAVE) THE TIME/ENERGY FOR EMOTIONAL NEEDS. LUCKILY I GET "FRESH BLOOD" (MY CAREGIVER) 2-3 TIMES A WEEK, WHO CAN DEVOTE TIME 2 MY EMOTIONAL NEEDS, & IT'S AMAZING, REALLY, HOW WELL SHE'S GOTTEN 2 KNOW THE ME INSIDE, YET NEVER KNEW ME B4 MY STROKE! BUT I KNOW IT'S A DIFFICULT BALANCING TASK – 2 FIND A PLACE WHERE I AM BOTH SATISFIED WITH PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL NEEDS, SO 3 CHEERS 4 "FRESH BLOOD!" LOL

HOWEVER, IF OTHERS R THERE, I CAN SAY MORE W/MARK’S HELP…W/ HIM I USUALLY ONLY NEED 2 SAY A FEW SHORT WORDS, SOMETIMES JUST A LETTER OR 2, & HE FIGURES IT OUT, & SHARES IT (WAY BETTER THAN I COULD, SINCE I GIVE THE ABBREVIATED VERSION, & LAUGH ALONE 4 EVERY LETTER, AS THE LISTNER ATTEMPTS 2 FIGURE OUT WHAT’S SO FUNNY!) MARK KNOWS MY STORIES & MIND SO WELL (ESP. AFTER SPENDING SO MUCH TIME WITH ME, SPELLING OUT MY THOUGHTS) & HE KNOWS MY HUMOR, SO IF THERE'S A CHANCE 2 CATCH ON, MARK OFTEN CATCHES ON SOONER & DOESN’T ALWAYS NEED ME 2 SPELL IT ALL OUT 4 HIM. THIS CAN ALLOW THE BIGGER LAUGH I SOMETIMES WANT/NEED.