Hi Anita…First and foremost I want to tell you that I hope that your ankle(?) injury is but a distant memory. I appreciate the time you took to share your kind words with me. Even though I totally get the fight/flight idea, sometimes I get caught up with having to defend myself against events that, although they happened many years ago, they still feel like 5 minutes ago. Episodes like the bank are an emotional ambush, and believe me being ambushed is no stranger to me, and they happen so fast that it is very hard to come back to reality in a split second and dismiss them as history. When that (emotional ambush) happens it takes me, I’d say perhaps 5-10 minutes to realize I am not there, I am here, and I am doing ok. That 5-10 minutes spent in a memory like that feels like a day. But when I finally realize that memory, that ambush is history, the relief I feel is one of liberation. All of a sudden that glass full of turbid water is now clear and pristine. Taking in that glass of clear cool water feels good.

Concerning the neurological injury, I still am reminded of that time when it happened because the pain is 24/7/365. Much of the time it is quite tolerable while other times it gets so painful that I wish I couldn’t walk again because that particular pain is paralyzing and unbearable. The reasons for that kind of pain is a constant reminder of that memory which sneaks in and winds up on the big screen. But to deal with it, I think in terms of my back hurts, that’s all, nothing more. I never complain about it. For me to complain about it has no therapeutic value. Ice/heat packs and jacuzzi time is.

I enjoy the beach every day since it is less than 1/8th of a mile from my home. Just to share a funny thought with you, yesterday an older husband and wife couple were visiting from Canada. The woman, who has a kind soul for sure, after telling me how wonderful it is at the beach, she asked me if it was always like this here. I told her no, half the time it is night time 🙂 The husband said, “Now I KNOW we’re in California,” and they both busted up laughing.

Anyway, thank you for sharing your very encouraging and kind words. It’s who you are and it’s what you do.

Pearce