Submitted to: Contest #321

TBI excellence!

Written in response to: "Center your story around something that’s hidden."

Creative Nonfiction Funny Inspirational

TBI----------------------- To Be Increadible:

Triumph Over Traumatic Brain Injury.

Struggles of a TBI, and increasing the thinking styles to successes.

Preface

After the great fall of the empire, was in a constant preliminary onslaught, on how to function in this new realm of life. It is time for mind rebuilding, through the continual rebuilding of the physical aspects of self, into the state of achieving more, with what has been left, along with the mental stability, of the most beneficial ways to helping yourself heal.

Every person has their own mental obstacles, that they are handling in their lives. And some, may have very few speed bumps, in their voyage through living. While others have a constant torrent of hail from the normal living and functioning circumstances in life. Then trying to figure the proper steps to either overcome a setback, or to promote further progress in some ideas and actions. And knowing that acquiring a Brain Injury, can be a devastating episode, or, you may attempt to adjust to a higher sense of self, and be able to function in a higher attainment of simplicity, with accomplishments to be ecstatic about, in being sure to achieve more, in the educated ways in doing so!

In the beginning, of forming positive interactions with some other people throughout society, to dealing with the activities of daily living, ADLs, Activities of Daily Living, like getting dressed, or putting in your eyes; your contacts. To eating, to doing errands, that may need to be completed, throughout a day? Enjoy the journey!

With that being stated, know that the brain can spoil your forward momentum in the positive aspects of living, which can create a number of slow roles, with your forward progress, in goals that you may be attempting to attain with positive results!

With that being said, there WILL be, an enormous amount of personal, and also physical aspects, that may need to be handled, throughout the healing process. The mind is a complex organ, with personal thoughts, that may elevate your positive actions, to return results that will create a pleasing thought and/or action! This may be why people say to look both ways before crossing a street, it coinsides with the idea of taking your time in a final decision, that you may be looking for?

The aspect of figuring out, what, and how, to deal with some obstacles in recovery may help, but also may not, with the limited space that the body may work, in conjunction with the mind, in the completion of the ultimate desired goal. As to which you might be seeking. You may have to decide on what may be of value to learn, for retention, for later use.

Listen to the ones who care for you.

The therapists, who work with Brain Injured population, know as to what to expect at each stage through the healing process. Trust in their judgement moving forward!

The mind is so complex, we are just starting to discover, some of the vast amounts of multiple ways you may train the mind, to create success in many tasks.

Thoroughly believe that the mind has the capacity to rebuild, or locate a different avenue, to achieve the desired results. And achieve the outcome, you are wishing to appear, through the use of the process, of elimination.

Taking what works, and doesn’t work, and eliminating the tasks that don’t help you to the next goal, to achieve the results that you desire. And continuing in practicing, what may forward your completion, with a smile.

Some results may not immediately appear, and through practicing it continuously, you may have success.

Believing that through the music eutectics my mother played while I was in a coma a (month and half), with the, over three hundred CDs that I had, helped, with the reconfiguration of the neurological connections. Either, you can associate with the tempo of the music, or, notice the song, along with the lyrics, which in turn lights up some of the neurological connected reconfigurations, of the neurons in your brain? Due to having the music or tempo recognizable to you!

The brain is always in a constant assimilation process. Of trying to figure out the best ways in approaching a task that you would like to complete.

Long continuation and learning, not only how to eat, without gasping, for more air, and along with that, how to put one foot in front of the other one, to be able to walk to the desired place of choice.

May become a bit daunting; of going through the continuous acts to act normal without the proper links in completion, of the desired outcome, which you may be so earnestly, be yearning for. The,“In time”, statement, it will appear to those that are dedicated in working, for results, however small, they may show!Just need to try, to reach goals, in a continuous act, over and over again. Even though, it may appear to be impossible to reach your ultimate wish through the use of certain steps of, WHAT Ifs. You may get it. With the possibility of faith in that the ultimate positive outcome, is being answered, in due time. Believe the outcome of which you wish to bring about, has happened! This may have you come to the conclusion as to, it has happened already.Just act as if, as if, you have gotten it! You might be surprised. Do not expect the results to be instantaneous either. Have to understand that it may take some time to learn a new task, and the body along with the mind builds itself up through practice.

Some of the drills may be useless for some, being that there may be a large fluctuation, in the neurological compositional construct, of your mind. Just keep shooting from the foul line, and in the determination in it, you may make a basket. Confidence is important!

Look out to help those, who may need a helping hand in doing something.You should continue thinking that, if I was caught in a bind, wouldn’t I want someone to help me out? That is where kindness goes a far distance. Like the boomerang that comes back to you, like they say, “You will receive, what you give to others”.

Hope that you realize that you cannot rush the healing process, the body wants to heal on its own timetable, and may not give the capacity to healing in certain areas.

May wish to run from here, to there, and find the injuries that you got, have limited yourself in doing some things, that’s where the acceptance has to come into play! Just turn the thought into, “Well, I could have been in a worse off situation, could have lost my life” or?

Think about the fact, that you will not be a strong weight lifter overnight, you have to work at building up your endurance. And also your muscle mass, through the process of working the muscles and then resting, to allow them to rebuild themselves.

Try to help others that may be in need of assistance, will not only help them, and it may also help you through the psychological aspects of doing this.You may even make a new friend, and might amaze yourself, if you take the time to learn more about them, and whichever they may entertain through life?

Chapter 1

Psychological constructs

Every 15 secs someone sustains a TBI, and 50,000 die yearly from a TBI. The biggest change is through, mood changes.

EVERYONE, throughout everyday life, has their own personal baggage that they are carrying with them, some may make it well know, while others may be good at hiding these issues. To keep under the radar of character and/or personality labels.

What, and how, you say things to some folks has an enormous psychological effect, on their self-esteem. So choosing the words wisely that you may wish to convey unto others, is ideal throughout every transaction with people. In order to leave every connection you may have throughout the day in a somber status, if that’s how you wish to exit it? And you should!

You will never know what the full extent of someone’s life circumstances may include throughout a day to day, functioning of survival.

Heck, you may see someone all happy with money, just rolling in for them, but then who is to say, that they do not have any debt, or have bills to pay? You may never know until one day, you get to walk, in the shoes that they are walking in, day in, and day out!

Even though some people, like to spend money they do not have, there is always money going around in the world, some save every pay they get in securities or hard cash! The great ones have always said to save, and for some, this may be a difficult task, being that there are always bills, and other needs that need to be met in life. But like it has been said before, “You can’t take what you have to your grave”. Some are very good at hiding their inner emotions that they may have to deal with, throughout a day, and loving actions, goes a far distance.

Through everyday living scenarios there has to be an understanding that people who have sustained a TBI may be unable to relate with common societal happenings, this may be due to a slow processing speed, of thoughts and actions?

And even in the common understanding of when to do certain things, in certain situations. For example, now not many people may do this, it is ideal to hold the door open for women, or the use of common curtesy in certain interactions throughout a day.

You may allow someone to make a turn where you may have the right away on the road, just to be nice!

The mind is an amazing organism in that shoebox of the skull, along with the weight of three pounds, and it has been studied and stated that there are over one hundred billion neurons in your skull, through the interconnections of thoughts along with movements that are constructed throughout a day? We think on a daily basis up to, and over than, 65,000 thoughts a day!

It is an amazing idea, like the thought of seeing a double rainbow!

Am hoping that other brain injured clients may view this writing and believe that they are not the only ones that are dealing with whichever it may be.

Ok hold on, I am also a diabetic and I think my pump is warning me of an up and coming sugar low? Nope a high, 395, and normal blood sugars are between 80-120 glucose results, per ADA-American Diabetes Association and diabetes is considered a disability also.

So yes, have two lives, that of a brain injured survivor, and also a diabetic. Could have been in a worse off situation! Could’ve gone to war, and was unable to battle, due to being a diabetic

While learning to fly planes with an instructor at age 15 or 16, got diabetes and the aviation junction told me that I couldn’t fly solo, and only had a few more hours with an instructor, then would have been flying solo. So, might have got saved by getting diabetes?

Who is to say that if I was to continue on the set path that was in my mind, that something far worse would have occurred?

Could have been flying a helicopter in battle, and flying helicopters was the ultimate goal, might have got blown out of the sky in the war? Or, who is to say, could have got stuck in a violent storm or a faulty part of the plane/helicopter?

Personal thought, May make some upset in stating this, but, oh well. The COVID issue is just that, an ISSUE.Back number of years ago, when it originally hit the USA, the death rate of those who got it was, .3%.

Presently the death rate is less than .003.

I feel respect for the ones that have lost people, who were close to them. Back a number of years ago there was numerous places where gathering up all the bodies was an issue. There was an island off the coast of NYC called, HART island, which has been used as a mass burial ground in times, when a large number of individuals died, example of this is with the Spanish Flu, Aids, etc.

Next flu season, the recommendation will be of wearing a gas mask!

Was wishing to educate others of how life was going, prior to the TBI. And some may experience a drastic shift in every day actions, that seem to be second bature. We all have a life prior to our TBI, some may be plesant while others may bot be.

My life up until brain injury!

This is the brief disruption of what I was doing prior to my MVA on 81101.

Was a Mortgage Loan Officer, until the car-accident happened! During that time went to interviews to become, a Pharmaceutical Representative.

The memory of this may be a bit fragmented due to the Brain Injury, and from what I can recall is…

Was always a happy cat, with a load of women always around me, friends always said, “We like hanging with you, you always have hot girls with you, most of them were just friends of mine. Had a friend used to give a ride to a strip club she worked at, then, later picked her up, this was only a brief episode as friends. And had another girl I was hanging with, and she was working at a place, the one that was on the Sopranos, forgot the name in the movie but the real name was, Satin Dolls.

Was a Life Guard at a place called, Sun Tan Lake, where it was a manmade Lake, made with concrete. Used to have concerts there, some acts were Stone Temple Piolets, Kansas, Bad Company, Cheap Trick, Alabama, Stuttering John, David Lee Roth, etc., A lot more, but am unsure. They had radio stations there, like WDHA 105.5, and other radio stations, can’t remember who? It had about 1000 people there or more during concerts, so the pool was always crowded!

I was responsible for watching over them, along with over ten other lifeguards when people went into the lake.While working there, had over 100 saves in about, a three month period.

Then after this, was an ocean guard at LBI, Long Beach Island, 56th street in Brant Beach, we had to pull people out of the water, when dolphins were swimming by, because they usually follow the sharks, to pick up the scraps they leave behind, from the frenzy.

Went to college at the University of Delaware, for Psychology, have gotten a four year college degree. Then moved into Colorado, Dillion/Silverthorne, and was working at Keystone Resorts, at The Alpen Glow Stube, where you had to take an hour gondola ride on two lifts, then they would take your shoes, or ski boots, and then give you slippers to din in. Think in the wine cellars we had, a bottle of wine worth, 6,500 dollars.

After I lived there for a year, had my friend Erica fly out from NJ to drive with me back to NJ, from CO. It’s was neat, we drove back in the truck I bought out there, a 1976 Land Cruiser, FJ55.

Had a Safari Rack up top, and loaded that with all my belongings, also put my futon mattress in the back, on the custom made shelf in the back, with storage under it, which we slept on when we got tired of driving, just found somewhere to crash for a few hours to sleep.

Then, On The Road Again!

Started driving through Oklahoma during the same day that Timothy McVeigh shot up the school, think it was? Then broke down in Perry OK, had to get a 350 four barrel dropped in it, to continue on the journey. Got back home and everyone called it, The Green Tank!

Was a party hound and I believed, that if my car accident didn’t happen, I would have been pushing up daisy’s? GOD had different plans for me!

Thoroughly enjoy helping others, when able to. Get excited, when someone request help from you, you will not only put a smile on the face of the person with whom you may be assisting, but also you will get an inner joy with helping others. Like that saying, “What goes around comes around”. Is a truth!

Do not presume you will awake from your coma, and bounce up skipping for joy, because skipping, is hard, after your brain gets rattled.

The brain is full of thought ether, and this is the component that attracts our wishes to us, in a magnetic attraction entity! For example you may complain of traffic all the time on your way to work, and if you cease to consume your mind with this thought, your brain may provide thoughts as to a better way for you to get to work, with less traffic through a different route getting there, not always, but there may be a more time efficient way, to getting there?

Posted Sep 20, 2025
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3 likes 1 comment

Rick De Pol
00:57 Sep 30, 2025

ah just ok?

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