Hi, James!  Awhile ago you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

JB>  I was thinking just yesterday how differently one
JB>  person can recover from an injury than another.
JB>  But, how to standardize the injury would be the
JB>  chore. 


          Yes, it would!  Nora had a stroke which was virtually identical
to the one my father had, for example, but she's recovered more within a
similar period of time.  In terms of motivation & energy level I would
say the two of them were about evenly matched.  So... how to account for
the difference??  I see a number of possibilities here.  I'm delighted to
report she's alerted a few of our older acquaintances to the likelihood
they can recover something, at any rate....  :-)



AH>  But within three days of our homecoming Nora was
AH>  walking from the living room to her bedroom....  :-)

JB>   Next time Nora's in a struggle, you can
JB>  tell her your e-mail buddy's *been there*. I've been
JB>  rigging my surroundings for *years* to challenge my
JB>  abilities. We can't compare apples and oranges, but
JB>  let her know her struggles are paralleled, even in
JB>  some small way.


          I'm sure they are, and I'm sure Nora recognizes that too!  She
has the ability to connect with people of all ages & various
conditions.  You can't walk well?  That's okay... neither can I.  It's a
great social leveller....  :-)

          And now that you mention "rigging" your surroundings to
challenge your abilities, I suppose we've been doing much the same.  The OT
I mentioned had the right idea, I think, when she asked what Nora wanted to
do & then worked on ways of doing it.  When Nora was in rehab she
wanted to attend a picnic a few weeks & some distance away, so we
practised getting her in & out of the car.  We refused to purchase a
van... as this OT had suggested... and Nora rose to the challenge. She has
risen to many other challenges too.  Sometimes all a person really needs is
a few minor modifications if they're willing & able to stretch a
bit....  :-)



JB>  And how I wanted to get in the garden today!
JB>  Yesterdays' outing however, caught up to me.
JB>   When will I learn to
JB>  pace myself?


          If Nora is inspired to push the limits of her ability we know she
will probably feel the effects the following day.  But how else can we find
out where the current limits are & how else can one reasonably expect
to expand them?  :-)



AH>  But, as Nora says, "I still have some stories in
AH>  me" & I certainly won't forget you....  ;-)

JB>  Onward! <-;


          Onward & awkward, that's my motto... [chuckle].



JB>  Reply to that backlog at your leisure, but realize
JB>  we don't have to fix the world over ASCII. 


          Nor do I expect to.  Other people can read what we have to say
& learn from it... or not, as they wish.  If we're not the best
teachers for them, or if they're not ready to hear what we're saying, I
won't take it personally....  :-)



JB>  I know the world would be a better place if only we
JB>  could convert a larger portion over to Fido, but
JB>  what can two people do about that? P-:&


          There was a moment in time when Fidonet was apparently the
"in" thing. We had a lot more participants in those days, but
very few of them stuck around. The whims of fashion are relatively low on
my list of priorities... so I'm still here.  Whenever I start thinking it's
time to quit, somebody like you crawls out of the woodwork!  I feel I can
be more open when I have a smaller audience.  And IMHO it's healthier to
light a single candle than to curse the darkness....  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+