MOST MARVELLOUS MEANEST MONDAY!!

12:50 a.m. MOST MARVELLOUS MEANEST MONDAY?

Searching for a word that means the last I stumbled upon meanest.... concluding.... the last.

Many have been marvelous and we'll forget the ones that have not

as we enter the meanest (last) Monday of the year

twenty twenty-one flew by

as global warming has kept this Christmas season oh so hot!

Internally I am shaking with high expectations for today,

as it is the year's last Monday,

filled with excited anticipation for the fabulous things that are coming my way!

I I am so thankful for the amazing family I have,

My cousin reminded me where I obtained the resilience I possess

and not to let any situation of this world, my progress regress!

Let this Most Marvelous Meanest Monday be the best of the year,

as 51 others may have been wonderful,

today, 

it is this poem's title that I plan to adhere!

2:02am

Trying to Take Life From God's Hands to Mine

Ever since I became disabled I have thought "I must not be on the same level parse spiritually as Christian men so I might as well settle for any man I can get. I prayed and prayed that God would bring the perfect man into my life. Years went by and I wasn't getting any younger.

Full Day's Work!

I'm not sure how old it is but I just found it in my drafts and wanted to clean up

Excitement is overflowing as my day has started out so amazing! I didn't spring out of bed, I woke up and waited to get out of bed until my thoughts were settled and I was ready to get started. I decided that I better use the bread that was in my fridge however that was after I decided to make a fried egg. Could I use my wonderful sandwich maker to make an egg sandwich?! It took a lot longer than I'm sure it takes the unbrain injured person, however I did it!!  I made it to the office on time for my first appointment of the day with Rhea from BIAC, breakfast sandwich in tow ready to order my morning drink! 

When I first arrived at the office I was a little early for my first meeting. This was  good because there was another meeting taking place at my desk! What in the world? What were they thinking? Come to find out they were some of the head honchos from the IT department of District 11! I was also given the opportunity to chat with a former co-worker, Karley Ford. When my meeting time  finally came, the meeting was AMAZING! Additionally I got to chat with Pastor Brian after his meeting and I got to see Liz from Young Life. I know I have met someone before when they've come up with me and they say their name without anything else. Or when they walked into the office and say why I have to sit here in your name but my name is this. Then John Brown came and we had a great discussion. 

Although I'm wanting to go home and take a nap I just thought man just hang out so I did and it was a good thing because JR happened to stop by early!

We had tons of fun with all of the Matchbox minis, Tonka Tiny's and Drivens and I got to learn a little bit about JR's school, situation and I found out his mother is an E6 in the Army and drives an 18 wheeled vehicle! Wait for it….

On my way home going at the typical speed of a wheelchair I get up to the crosswalk light and I was here sounds like it's dragging something. Going down the ramp my wheelchair made more noise. I finally realized that the strap that holds up the footplate came loose so I put the footplate on my lap and continue on my last stop. 

Today one such a neurologically stimulating day I am wiped out! Consequently I'm not proofreading this but I might look at it tomorrow.

Smooth(ie) Sunday/ THE SECRET OF CONTENTMENT/ Reflection/ Kimi’s Kitchen

Smooth(ie) Sunday

Last night I wrote this title but I did not have a poem,

I prayed to heaven and thanked God-- assured that something meaningful would come.

Opening my eyes entirely way too early, with the day's tasks already circling in my mind--

I had to scurry out of bed because I wouldn't want to get behind!

“It's Sunday Kimi, it's Sunday, just lay your head back down”

The fruit, the yogurt, all the ingredients, even the spinach that you found!

Enough with food, today will be adventurous and filled with lots and lots of fun,

There will even be a friend virtual dinner date, you should gather me and myself--

I know they are welcome-- you are always together-- your bond can never truly be undone

 

THE SECRET OF CONTENTMENT

“The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

Number 6:26

You've undoubtedly seen those infomercials featuring the most amazing products that you never knew you needed! One day I found myself wanting to order an EZ Egg Cracker. Having discovered that this device existed, how could I possibly continue to crack open eggs with my own hands? But, I realized, I was content cracking eggs by hand until I saw that infomercial...

Life is a little like that, isn't it? We are relatively content until we hear about the next gadget, update, house, car --and we need to have it! In fact, every marketing campaign out there is designed to make me discontent, until I have that thing.

The apostle Paul, however, found contentment not having any infomercial product, but in the toughest of situations - while he was in prison. That's because real contentment never can be found out there; you only can find contentment in Christ.

The grass is not greener somewhere else; it’s greenest wherever you water it. If you nurture and water your relationship with Jesus Christ on a daily basis, you will be content regardless of your circumstances. You already have complete, full access to the secret of contentment: His name is Jesus.

 

Jesus, Your peace and contentment is such a countercultural trait! But how freeing. Please help me to be content, consistently nurturing and watering my relationship with You.

 

Unshakeable by Christine Caine

 

Reflection

It is early in the morning and I woke up and felt completely content free of so many thoughts that I have been stressing over lately. My conscious mind did not remember  dictating  the devotion last night although I didn't think really hard. When I scrolled through my Prayer Journal to see what my plans were for the day and the devotion was there, I was shocked! I was even more shocked when I saw the title of the devotion-- The Secret of Contentment!

After I opened my eyes and looked at the clock I was thinking “Kimi, it's Sunday go back to bed!” But my brain was already revving up like an engine vroom vroom!! I wanted to make a smoothie today, I had planned that last night because I found something very special (see video)- I think planning out meals and knowing what I should be hungry for ahead of time is part of my secret to contentment - if I have it in my head what I will be eating, I crave that and eating it satisfies! I didn't plan to tie the food into the Bible study but it just happened!.

 

Kimi’s Kitchen

Sunday Splash

• Triple Berry Frozen Fruit

• Fresh cantaloupe

• Fresh watermelon

• Spinach

• Banana

• Hemp hearts

• Flaxseed

• Almond Milk

• Tiny bit of beet juice

• Squirt of Hershey’s Dark Chocolate

Mathematically Intelligent, Eh?

Mathematically Intelligent, Eh?

I always thought I was pretty mathematically intelligent and

before I could sleep I had to make sure that Barbara was really 96 years old. To figure out her age I had to count. Well my head counts by ones but that would be hard to count from 1935 to 2021. Probably the most efficient way and the way that I still use to this very day- counting by tens and using my fingers.

For every group of 10 I put up one finger. Having the minimal extent of sign language knowledge I do expands my finger counting limitations, I can count to 20 with two hands (YES!).

 

Still sitting in the dark it is now 4:41 a.m., I start: thirty-five to forty-five is one (up goes a finger), forty-five to fifty-five is two...I am on 9 when I get to 2025 and swear I am counting wrong because I thought she is 96. I look at her birthday on her profile and start counting again…. thirty-five to forty-five is one (up goes a finger), forty-five to fifty-five is twoIn my mind I remembered that she is close to Bachan's age, but 96 is a whole 13 years older! I finally flip out the calculator And realize she is 86…3 years older than Bachan….That sounds much better and now thay I have it all figured out And typed this on my cell phone one-handed, it is 5:12 a.m.

 

Tlhe Midnight Laughter Doctor

The Midnight Laughter Doctor

 

I just woke up at 1:45am realizing that several months ago (actually over a year ago) when I thought a mouse was in my bed, it was probably me. 

The mouse was tickling my foot and I "saw it." Meaning I saw my blanket moving. After much time has passed I'm just realizing that I finally caught it! "The mouse" was probably my right foot tickling my left foot. My corpus callosum is damaged, which is the thin membrane between the right hemisphere of your brain and the left hemiphere. It took years of college to subconsciously realize that the "mouse" that I thought that was under my blanket was probably my other foot!

 

New Normal?

New Normal?

It wasn't necessarily the normal time (early in the morning), however I did make it to the office. As I sat there, the wind was whipping around my crazy! I must have made it at the perfect time because now that I have returned home the wind sounds absolutely horrific-- it sounds like it's raining-- too windy to feel safe traveling in my wheelchair. Yes I do think I'm light enough for the wind to blow me over. 

 

By the time I went to the office, I had already spent a couple hours at home deciding what drink I was going to purchase but then changed my mind when I got there. Then the best thing happened-- I looked in the back of my wheelchair to make sure I had my large plastic cup set in my wheelchair bag and I was completely surprised when I found three completely full drinks from the day before!

 

So after meeting A new-to-me barista and seeing some wonderful familiar faces, I went next door and grabbed a wonderful snack. I didn't need a snack but I felt a tug on my heart to at least stop by and when I went I met a wonderful mother and young son. He was so interested in my contraption  (electric wheelchair) that his curiosity brought joy to my heart! I am so glad that life is getting back to some level of normal, and new events that are taking place are so exciting!!

 

5/13 MORNING THOUGHTS

MORNING THOUGHTS

Woke up great but not too excited and showered although no poem came to mind because Thursdays are hard, not many words start with the th. I started crying a lot after getting out (of the shower) thinking I might be alone forever. A comment was made a long time ago that made it seem like a person is not supposed to be alone or something.  I also want to be with the right person (was that J?), I know if he was right, God would have made it work [here is an example of the different people in my head)...but we do have free choice. I did have thoughts that W wasn’t right but the comments that are made about me never following through came to mind so I was going to follow through with this.  

 

It totally cracks up when I think about Debra, my counselor, and how she agrees that “yes your thoughts are EVERYWHERE” with a crazy look on her face as we both giggle!  It's odd that I go to counseling but  because everyone's so busy and no one has the time to sit here and listen to what's going on in life and wait because I can’t process fast enough at the right time. Of course that's not at all why I started going to counseling as that reason is gone but it does rear its nasty head every once in a while.

 

A brain injury in itself seems to be a reason enough to go to counseling. Just recently a person commented on trying to keep up with all the things happening in my head and I was mentioning that my brain was going everywhere. This just popped in my head-- “maybe it's because of your frontal lobe injury and not being able to filter out what it is important and what is not. You are processing everything. That could also be why writing is so healing. A class I took was called ‘Writing as a Way of Healing’ and for me, writing is a way of healing.”

 

After the morning shows (Morning Coffee with Paul Cummings & Laura Messner), Strive for Greatness with Jerry Wald and Tom & Salud’s real life re-do, during the Filipino half-hour goodbye, Yvone kept making funny comments and Salud was laughing through the tears as she recently lost her husband after a stroke . THAT is it!!! This community is so supportive and accepting. (not sure I should even joke about this) but Salud, please don’t lose Tom as you travel (but if that does happen (God forbid) he is ALWAYS in your heart.

 

I will get to Kimi’s Kitchen sometime but my refrigerator might not have room.  I am thinking I should read/talk about this live, I would like to also post my devotion at the same time (in the same post) however I have not even read/dictated a devotion for today. Also, out of respect for other people that have different beliefs,  I should post my devotion completely separate. Now that it’s 6 hours later...I am going to have fun! Thank you everyone in my life for everything you do, I may not express that time but it ALL helps my livelong healing!

How Five Simple Words Can Get You What You Want | Janine Driver | TEDxHa...

All In A Day's Work

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

On August 3rd 2012 I started a blog not knowing where it would go. It was called The Simple Things. I gave it that title because it seems like completing essential (or non-essential) activities that are not really that big of a deal to many (most if I dare say) people have become like clearing a skyscraper to me since my traumatic brain injury (TBI).  

For instance, most people have a routine of what they like to do in the morning and it’s pretty much the same way every day-- wake up, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, ect., ect.. Everyone's order is unique and there are reasons that the order may change but overall, in some form or fashion we all get the basic things done every morning. Once you have a routine, completing the tasks are not that big of a deal and it becomes almost second nature to do them- when you forget to do something, you realize it. Even though you might not know what you are forgetting to do, most of the time you know something is missing. That’s true even for me, with a brain injury, and I think for my friends with varying types of disabilities as well. It might take longer to complete tasks after an injury or as we age and routines change. Certain activities may have ranked so low on the importance list or have become more trouble to do than they are worth and eventually such activities are nixed.

 

You might be wondering where in the world I'm going with this; sometimes I wonder that too...hahaha.  Actually when I was taking a shower this morning this very thing happened; I was going through my normal routine: I washed my hair and was washing my body when I realized that I could put the shampoo in my hair, wash my body with the soap, rinse both of those out and once I put the conditioner in my hair to sit for a while, I could use a more perfumed, more “exciting,” or more softening body wash. The second body wash would be basically like a conditioner for your body! Now there is reasoning behind my order of operations performed in the shower! Phew! Like other things, having a reason behind the order of my shower activities makes the whole process less stressful and easier to remember. Well at least for me, having a reason will alleviate the stress of trying to remember the order I need to complete my shower activities.

 

Not every injury is the same, and from personal data collection after observing different disabilities, it seems that individuals with  neurological disability are similar to a savant, a person who has detailed-focused processing.  WOO-HOO! After “researching” (using non-peer reviewed articles) perhaps people with neurological deficits can be savants. Good ole Marriam-Webster explains a savant as someone with an intellectual disability that excels in a limited area.  

2/25/21 Experimenting

SPRING CLEANING AND SUMMER, FALL, AND WINTER TOO

2/25 Experimenting

5 Day Focus Challenge || Day 3