Rise Again Stronger

When I was in the hospital, my wife asked me what I wanted to do after being discharged. Without hesitation, I said I wanted to go to the beach, sit in the sand, toes buried and just listen to the ocean surf coming in . Nothing else. Sure enough, we headed to Cannon Beach and Manzanita beautiful coastal towns in Oregon.

At sunset when heading out to dinner one night , we saw a herd of Roosevelt Elk coming up from an evening beach walk, and now blocking the road. The bulls large antlers and the rest of the herd now silhouettes against the beautiful sunset backdrop, an unbelievable and unexpected sight to see. At that moment, I thought beauty is all around us, sometimes in the most surprising places. In addition to the sitting in the sand, we took morning walks on the beach and never missed a sunset, feeling vibrant and energized after each walk.

The beach has always been a place of peace for me since I was a young kid going to Ocean City Maryland during the summers. At the ocean, I’m at peace more than any other place in the world. These are the big places but there are smaller spots too. In the morning I head to my favorite coffee spot and sit in a certain spot with the most comfortable high back chairs, all is good in the world. My mind free to think, write and relax, closing my eyes, taking deep breaths while sipping on morning coffee, the place to get stronger. Those recovering from a stroke know even in a static position supporting your body can tire you out, common with post stroke fatigue. Chairs are so important for support especially when in a social environment with lot of interactive back and forth going on.

My message in this post , in between your OT and PT led plan, find your place where you can calm your mind and body. Your place, for healing and well being and get stronger. Sharing pictures of Cannon Beach and on the way to Manzanita. Unfortunately didn’t catch good pictures of the elk herd but it was a pretty majestic scene for sure

What are your places to find calm and relax the body and mind?

Stay tuned for the next post Into The Wild – Existential Questions under the Rise Again Stronger series