Skip to main content

Giggles

Today, I got lost. Again.  How does a 31 year old lose herself in a neighbourhood she used to live in? I have no idea. 

Stelllllaaaaa! 

The only thing you can do is take a deep breath, open google maps, sort yourself out and laugh.  I've never taken myself too seriously, so turning my life into a punch line has actually been pretty easy.  What is surprising, however, is how therapeutic it has been. Whoever said that "laughter is the best medicine" probably had a concussion. (Actually chances are they didn't, but we can pretend!) 

While we are on the topic of making light of my situation, I thought I would give you a list (I LOVE LISTs) of Stella's top ten most embarrassing (or amazing!) moments (in no particular order):

1. The lawn chair journal 

See my blog on the topic.  I still get emails from Amazon recommending other journals with pictures on them.  

2. The trouble with baking 

I had a craving for peanut butter cookies and was determined to make a batch.  I made up the dough and set up the trays with no issues.  I put the trays in the oven and set the timer.  The only thing that I forgot to do was turn on the oven. (I turned the oven light on instead.)   After 15 minutes, the timer went off and I pulled out the trays and let the cookies cool.  

This was a big accomplishment for me, so I called my boyfriend to the kitchen to admire my creations.  He stared at the raw cookie dough on the trays, then looked at me, then back at the cookies.  He told me later on that he just didn't know how to tell me I had slipped up again. "Do you think they need a bit more time in the oven?" He suggested. "No, don't be silly, they're perfect!" I responded as I took a bite into the raw cookie.  

We agreed that I should be supervised while in the kitchen. 

Full disclosure: I've been told by more than one person that I would have done this pre-concussion. And they may be right as I have always been useless at cooking or baking. To put things into perspective, I once brought leftovers home and put them in the refrigerator. My roommate at the time was so shocked that I knew where the fridge was that he called me to confirm that the food was actually mine. 

3. The difference between a farm and a firm 

Putting sentences together and using words correctly was a big problem in the early stages of my recovery.  I would say some pretty interesting things, and what made it more entertaining was that I had no idea that I was making mistakes.  Here's a good example: 

My boyfriend and I are both accountants. After a particularly long day of therapy, I tried to convince him that we should run away and open up an accounting firm.  The problem with my sales pitch was that I was using the word "farm" instead of "firm."  The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Boyfriend! I have the perfect idea - it's brilliant. We should move to the country and start a farm."

Boyfriend: "A farm?"

Me: "Yes! A farm! Why couldn't we?" 

Boyfriend: "I just don't think it's your best idea... Collectively, we have zero experience farming." 

Me: "Farming? Huh?" Long pause. "Oh, I think I used the wrong word again."

Boyfriend: "Oh okay. A firm? That makes more sense. It's a good idea, but I think we should focus on your therapy first." 

Me: "Why? I haven't lost all of my markers."

Boyfriend: "Lost all of your marbles?"

Me: "Yes! Exactly. Markers." 

Boyfriend: "..... Okay. I'll think about it." 

I'm disappointed to tell you that I don't have a firm or a farm, but I will keep you posted.


4. The best birthday greeting 

I (or I should probably say Stella) wrote my dad a personalized note in his birthday card this year:


"Thank you for everything you do! Wishing you a great better birthday and a fantastic year! Thank you for everything you do!" 

I proofread now. 

5. The disappearing coffee mug 

I lost my coffee cup in a grocery store. When I realized it was gone, I retraced my steps and I found it. I was so excited! I literally did a dance in the aisle. I walked away beaming with pride - "i'm killing this day!" I thought.
"Jokes on you Stella!"  Unfortunately, my celebration was interrupted when I realized 15 minutes later that I had lost my coffee cup again. I retraced my steps (you know the drill) and I retrieved the mug. Guess where it was? In the same place where I had lost it in the first place.  I guess I was so busy celebrating that I forgot to pick it up.

This is still a win in my books/lawn chair journal. 

To be continued...  Stay tooned for the second part of this list. 

6. The long distance plan 
7. The carpeted parkade 
8. The wrong grocery store 
9. The coffee surprise 
I0. The bus incident 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Happy New Year!

What. A. Year. Am I right?  Looking back on 2018, a few words come to mind: exhaustion, setbacks, gratitude and perspective.  The last 12 months didn’t come without its share of challenges. I lost my job, broke up with my boyfriend, and moved in with my parents. My headaches, migraines, fatigue and visual snow were debilitating and I spent more days in bed than not.  Conclusion: It was a tough year. BUT, I am tougher (is tougher a word? Or is it like funner? And I should be saying more tough? In case you were wondering, I didn’t learn how to spell in 2018).  Despite the above setbacks, actually I think it’s because of them, I am happier now than I have ever been. I have learned to stop, to feel, and to appreciate the beauty in my day to day life. Before my injury, I was never really present and was so focused on the one or two things I didn’t have. Now, I am just so grateful for every little thing (this includes you!). Thank you for all of your love, encouragement and support and for f

No More UGGHS for this Girl

Hey y'all, Remember me? I did another guest article for the Brain Energy Support Team and I thought I would share it.  Hugs! - K No More UGHS for this Girl! Editor’s note: BEST welcomes back writer, blogger and BEST guest blogger, Kirsten Short, who shares a terrific and informative article on some helpful tools and strategies to engage your goals and journey forward in 2019. Thank you Kirsten for your important words and support! -- KT Click here to read more.

Do you know what a Spoonie is?

The theory was developed by Christine Miserandino to explain what it is like living with a chronic illness or disability (the whole spoon thing may seem weird to you, but she was in a diner when she came up with the analogy and my guess is that knives would have been a bit more dangerous to play with):       “The difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted.  Most people start the day with unlimited amount of possibilities, and energy to do whatever they desire, especially young people. For the most part, they do not need to worry about the effects of their actions… I used spoons to convey this point.”   A healthy person will have an unlimited number of spoons, but a Spoonie, someone with a chronic illness or disability, will wake up in the morning with a limited number. T