“BEING HAPPY vs. BEING HAPPY ENOUGH”

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by Family, Lessons Learned, Misc, Spinal Cord Injury, Uncategorized •

I was lying awake last night battling my arch nemesis “Ms. Insomnia” and she engaged me in a fight of a lifetime.  I couldn’t move, but my mind was running through a jungle fighting for my life as she tried to attack every fiber of my positivity.  She ran me up a tree at an alarmingly pace and as I clung to the tree branches for dear life, and tried not to let her get the best of me, she managed to claw me back down to the ground.  While I was being mauled by this insidious monster I laid there completely paralyzed unable to move as she had had her way with me.  By the time she had had her fill she left me battled and bruised.  As I was lying on my back gasping to breathe I decided to give in and just sit with my swirling thoughts.

I was trapped in my bed wide awake, angry, and frustrated that she had gotten the best of me as she so often does.  Many folks with spinal cord injury share the same fate night after night as I do whether that be from stress, anxiety, intense nerve pain, involuntary muscle spasms, etc.  I couldn’t help but think about the concept of happiness in life as I laid awake for two hours struggling to desperately get myself back to sleep.

I kept pondering what is this idea of happiness anyway?  I feel like it’s always wanting more, which makes me lose perspective and mentally spiral out of control on a regular basis.  This idea of happiness coupled with creating hopes, goals, and dreams — when not fulfilled — can end up leading to endless suffering for many folks from all walks of life.

The question I kept asking myself is “Am I happy?”  Continue reading →

“Dear Cat Island, My Home – A Story of a Broken Heart & Forgiveness”

by Before the Accident, Family, Lessons Learned, Spinal Cord Injury •

“Fernandez Bay Village (Home) – Half the homes are part of a resort and half the homes are private homes”

 

Several years ago I reached a point where I finally made the best peace one could make with breaking my neck and having my life change forever.  I spent so much time constantly pushing forward and not thinking about my accident through sheer determination of will.  This worked for a time, but eventually I had to find a way to dig deep in order to find some resemblance of happiness in my life and search for the best way I knew how to live a full life despite my circumstances.

Through quite a fair bit of soul-searching I arrived to where I am presently living the most fulfilled life I know how with work, finding love, getting married, spending time with friends & family, and traveling when able.

For the last six months Cat Island, Bahamas (my home) has been on my mind.  My family has had a home in the Bahamas for the last 40 or so years and it is a place so magical words simply cannot do it justice.  It is a beautiful out Island in the Eastern Bahamas spanning 60 miles long and 2 miles wide with a population of roughly 2,000 people.

The airport runway to the island is so short that no large commercial airlines are able land on the runway giving it its unique, and rustic charm because only those who know about it know how to get there.

I grew up on this island and made my first trip down when I was only several months’ old back in 1983.  I have lived in so many countries around the world that Cat Island has always been my home base, my center, my world, my escape, and my favorite place in the entire world.

I spent my time on the island with family and friends spearfishing, scuba diving, exploring caves in the middle of the island, taking Robinson Caruso style boat trips with my family to unnamed deserted islands, jumping off rocks into the ocean, picnicking on deserted beaches, kayaking through crystal clear lagoon waters, taking long walks on the beach, building bonfires with family, and countless other surreal adventures. Continue reading →