‘Tis the season to be jolly, to twinkle and shine, and to light up the night sky. ‘Tis the season to shine bright like a beautiful kaleidoscope, filled with brilliant colours, bountiful joy and twinkling lights. ‘Tis the season to find joy where we can, and celebrate in a safe, socially distant manner. And isn’t this what the season is all about? Making the best of the cards you are dealt in life, and making the most of every situation. ‘Tis the season after all.
I was reminded of this very concept when we drove to Niagara to take in the beautiful lights of this joyous season set against the backdrop of a natural wonder of the world. Instead it brought me back to another wonder. Walking in the slushy, snowy streets with the wind spitting in my face, glasses fogging due to the mask, vision obscured, not being able to even make out the person in front of me. It instantly brought me back to being in the hospital, and not even being able to make out a giant letter E on an 8 by 11 piece of paper. It brought me back to a time when I was told I was never going to be able to see again. Clearly that wasn’t the case for me as I have gained much of my vision back. It isn’t perfect but it is constantly improving. Which isn’t to say that the specialist was wrong, there is so much that we still don’t know about the human brain, it’s plasticity, it’s strength, it’s complexity, and resilience. But it is to say that no matter what your diagnosis is, you should never stop trying or striving to improve, and to make the best of the situation that you find yourself in. Also, every brain is so unique, and can respond so differently to the exact same injury. I was lucky enough that my optic nerves and brain stem were intact, my brain prior to my accident was healthy, strong and I already had developed decent coping skills.
I am not sure if this is why I healed so well, or if it is because I never once, not for a second gave up, or stopped putting in effort, or if I was just stupid lucky, or quite frankly all of the above.
Either way, this season brings me back to my own little wonder 5 years ago, just re-reminding myself that no matter what happens there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. And I know this year has been really hard for all of us but we can embrace what this season has to offer, and try to bring light and joy back into our lives.
After all, there’s always a rainbow after a storm, and isn’t that what this season is all about? Celebrating the joys and wonder that life has to offer, even when times, quite frankly suck.
Happy Holidays.