Hard as a nut
Yet so small.

Invisible you were
Non-existent they thought.


You turned the past into a dream
And the future into clay.


Rebirth.

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Happiness is a journey, not a destination (Ben Sweetland)
I don't usually quote motivationists, but this one kind of grew on me over time. At first, I was angry. I didn't know if it was the anger from my before tbi persona, or a new anger from meeting so many roadblocks. Other survivors kept saying that I could choose to go and and be happy with each sign of progress, but being really good at denial, it took me years to achieve that. I never gave up though. I knew that happiness existed because I could see it in the lives of lesser functioning survivors.

When I applied to the abi program at Coastline Community College and was accepted into the CRS program, that was one of my first steps toward happiness, though I didn't know it at the time. I only wanted to go through the program to help myself. My rehabilitation program left me feeling like so much was still missing. Of course a lot is still missing but the CABI assessment at Coastline showed me where my current functions are the weakest and how to work on improving them.

But that wasn't the thing that led me to the happiness fountain. No, far from it, I stopped trying to help me and started sharing my new coping skills with anyone who would listen, even those who are not brain injured. My boss got a promotion because she learned to schedule, take notes, and use here calendars better. The list could go on and on. The point of this whole writing proves another one of Ben Sweetlands motivational statements --“We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.”

I started feeling happiness each and every time I reached out to help another and that happiness grows each time I see others make progress whether it was from my help or not.

A man's reach must exceed his grasp. else what's a heaven for --Robert Browning

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