Feb 18th
So this morning was interesting. I had quite a few thoughts on what all happened this past week, and what’s to come. I had a great session at the gym yesterday, and was very pleased to have gotten up yesterday when my motivation was pretty low, and I knew I needed to get moving!
I had some interesting thoughts today. About that Bible verse, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
What’s interesting is it isn’t what everyone might be thinking, when they hear this verse. I have a bit of a different interpretation these days, after coming out of my injury. It reminded me of this video I had seen about the Pyramid of Competence. How you have to build off the previous things you know, to be able to build a successful music career, like the guy being interviewed was talking about. Without consistency, you really aren’t going to make a substantial amount of progress. Yeah, you can get out and go for a run one day, and it will feel great! But what’s hard is building a body that is resilient and able to go out at any day and any time to just go out and run! And I was actually able to do that! Me and my Max. We built ourselves a body that could quite literally go out for a run at almost any time or any day.
I also finished the book, ”Take It Lying Down” which was really good!
“Four Stages of Competence”, hmm interesting food for thought!
Welp, I had to take a break from what I was doing…. I kinda had a super powerful urge to go number 2….. and so I scurried over and had gotten myself into position. More on this later……
We started to watch Oppenheimer, and I’ve found some things very interesting. It’s so much talk and focus on his “relationships” and work with other people. It’s a large focus on this for the first 40min. And here I am thinking about that, and how this man was someone who was really invested into his particular type of work. It’s so self-referential all the time, thinking about how everyone is thinking. And it was odd too, seeing this movie, and thinking about how I’m not spending time doing the things I need to be focusing on and working on. Robert Oppenheimer didn’t get to where he was by watching films and movies, but working on his studies, and building relationships to help support them.
Feb 19th
So, I decided I was going to ditch the pillows under my stomach, and really try to stretch myself out! I can feel the upper part of my abdomen really stretching out. It’s interesting too, because I can feel my left hip go in and out of spasms, and how tight that thing gets.
I really was trying to pay attention to my hips, especially my left one, and how it moves, reacts to touch, reacts to breath. I was really trying to get it to relax! And I think I’m accomplishing this, it just might too soon to tell the from the night!
I can really feel how my attention can go in about a million different directions in the morning. I already bought things off Amazon, and 2 board games…. It’s a Monday morning, sheesh! 🙄
So, as I’m doing all these things in the morning, I need to remember to not loose track of my routine. I need to help my body at times like these. It’s important for me to remember these things! I don’t know why, wait, well, I do know why I sometimes do these things. I want to get all stretched out, or I want to ignore my bodily functions. I sometimes think of these things as chores. Turns out everyone has to pee, poop, and shower…. Stop that.
I know I have been having a harder time with the transfer into the bed, let’s take some time to think about that.
Taking time this morning to squeeze your hamstrings, glutes, quads, and ankles I think is a great way to start the day! I’m really trying to! It’s too hard to say when I’m laying on my stomach how much movement there is, but I need to keep doing it!
Work on the flash cards, and do some homework today!!
Time to get up!!
So, after taking my shower and getting some good thoughts in, I really don’t have to worry about “using my quads too much” because you literally have to use them all, all the time…. So, when you think that one muscle group is doing too much, THATS OKAY! They should be activating almost all the time! Just make sure you are thinking of the other ones!
It’s crazy how just taking time to consciously understand and learn about these groups of muscles really helps me better frame up the experience of it all.
Feb 20
So I’m just amazed by it all, this whole process. On what I’m learning and everything. It’s truly a remarkable journey. It hurts, it’s sore, I’m tight, but I’m trying. I gotta try every single day. Every day is a new set of challenges and a new way of thinking! What’s wild is processing so many different problems and ideas all in such a short period of time.
I had some really rough sleep there for a bit, and had to do some adjustments to finally get myself comfortable and back to sleep. So much time meditating and trying to get myself back to sleep. So many pains in my abdomen and weird and odd feelings in my legs that are constantly changing in amplitude and areas within my legs as well.
I’ve really been feeling the pressure of the bed underneath my legs, and feet even! I can feel the front of my shins and sides of legs pressing in, my knees, and it gets much more jumbled in my left foot than my right foot.
My left hip was really being a menace today. I am going to get him under control! I can feel how he is always acting out!
Oof 😅 I waited wayyyyy too long to go to the bathroom….. all of the muscles down there are angry from waiting!
So, what’s the next big thing to work on? Where all are you going to be working on next? Standing at the sink by yourself? Getting up in the braces by yourself? Turns out, you gotta try!
If we never set goals for ourselves, and never try to do things that we set out for ourselves, can we ever grow and try new things?
Thinking about how we learn and grow, is really an interesting process when I’m in the thick of it right now, at this very moment. I can really feel it.
Like, I’m so sore, and tired from therapy. My back and shoulders have the tightest and most stingy pain ever
What am I getting out of looking at the posts stats? Am I getting anything? It’s interesting, because it makes you think about the things that are truly important in life. The family and friends around us, our health, fun little things that keep us going. Focus on the right things, and the right things will get the attention.
It’s been a huge change in how I look at life. Everything these days has been slowed down. It’s really important for me to make sure I keep the important things in mind. Speaking of which, I better go stretch…….
Taking all this time to really put this much effort into my thoughts has really made me appreciate the mind. It’s ability to over analyze all different areas of our lives. It’s also our conscious brains job to make sure we are taking the right efforts and move them forward, while making sure we put forth the right efforts.
I’m really grateful for that, and how our brains know what we should/ can prioritize. It’s such a slow process sometimes, seeing how our life is put together right before our own eyes. But we can’t stop trying to advance what we are working on. It’s such a constant effort that pays off the dividends.
Getting on floor at home – ✔️
Getting on tum on floor – ✔️
Getting into chair from floor – nope 👎
So like, I have my work cut out for me still, I need to make sure I get my knees lined up, and in the proper position.
Laying on my stomach for 15 min really was helpful! All of the work trying to get up and into the wheelchair really helps loosen up my legs! I was really feeling a lot better in my abdomen after that! Which was great!
Sometimes, these simpler things really matter, and add up. I need to just lay down and try and relax for the rest of the night.
Feb 21
I was able to get out of the bed on my own! I think it took me 6 minutes, 14 seconds. so not the shortest amount of time… it’s a grind, that’s for sure. Trying to get my legs out of bed in the morning has consistently been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do! I’m glad I did it, but holy smokes!
I got into the car on my own! No slide board! This was also a big milestone for me! It’s truly a hard thing, constantly pushing myself to just always push it a bit more and more everyday. Besides our therapists, we don’t usually have someone pushing us to constantly “do more” or go outside of our comfort zones. It’s really kinda an interesting thing, to always be aware of what I’m trying to do moving forward from day to day.
I feel it, both the urge to do more, and the desire for comfort. That things are okay and you can get by. But that’s not how we progress and move forward!
Therapy was really cool today because I was the straightest I had been up standing, and I got down to crawl!
Crawling has been really fun! To see my legs move forward on their own and individually! I understand I still need help, but my legs were still moving on their own, independently, and by their own as well!
“Trust Your Legs” – that was what I was really learning today, and need to apply moving forward!
I was pretty stoked to have been working on trying to get myself into and out of the car without the slide board at OT. I also was working on the floor transfers, transferring from the floor into the wheelchair. Fortunately I think I have them down, but I just need to try this at home.
We made a crazy French dinner with Gheary, we had him over tonite! Lots of fun chatting and cooking dinner up!
Feb 22nd
Called John cuz it’s his birthday today! Hope he enjoys the book and the gummy bears! Haha 😂
Got my legs outta the bed on my own and cut the time way down! It really does get easier and quicker the more you do it.
Got my haircut today! This was actually the first legitimate haircut I have gotten here I think ever….
Feb 23rd
Well, I had a heck of a day yesterday! And today! Oof!
I was able to get myself up at a reasonable time today! Which really helped me get moving! But I definitely was feeling something much more, just about all day. Not a super pleasant feeling…..
I have found out that jerky and I don’t agree. Turns out that it’s probably one of the worst things for my digestive tract. What’s really weird is I can feel that stuff move thru me, or what it feels like is thru me. I have a lot of indigestion and down right pain when this is happening. I don’t exactly know why, but it all just starts out as pain, and I’m left to pick up the mess and figure out what it is…..
So, I decided after I got up and had breakfast to head down to the gym! I wanted to get some cardio in, I had a rather slow week in the gym. I really know that if I can help my spinal cord out by getting any signals going down there, I’m gonna be much better off. So I bring my bag and get the gloves out, and I decide to do 25min on the heavy bag! It’s such a great workout, and I really have to consciously think about pressing thru my right and left legs to help stabilize me when im throwing the punches!
When I’m doing this, it’s fun to actually get my heart rate up, and get my body moving. It’s been a long winter for me, albeit mild, but I just want to move around! So after the heavy bag, I got on the smith rack to stretch out! I really enjoy that too!
So I get back home, Callie and I have some lunch, and I decide to get down on the floor! Tum time on the floor this time! I decided not to over do it. I did just 15min! It felt really good to not be trying to go all out at once! So, when the time was up, I had Callie readjust my feet, and I begin the part that I’ve been trying to do for some time.
I line up to get myself ready to do the transfer and I got in the wheelchair!! THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME AT HOME!!
Feb 24
So, I got myself out of bed this morning! I did it without even waking up Callie! I was pretty stoked to have done this! My body woke up at 8:15 and I knew I needed to go! So, instead of immediately asking for help, I take a second to start moving my body. Propping it up into a long sit is always really hard, and I know I gotta do it to really start to move my legs around.
It was kinda wild, cuz I definitely talked to mom for about an hour, did my morning bathroom routine, and then plopped back in bed! Andd I ended up falling back asleep until noon….
When I got up at noon, Callie and I were really confused! How did it already get to noon!
So, got to the gym with Ian today again! Which was a great day too, I ended up getting to do quite a few extra exercises for my back and shoulders, and I made it on the bench press bench! I worked on this a few times while I was in therapy, and I was glad to finally try that! I decided not to stop and do too much thinking on it all. I’ve realized, once I plan thru the steps in my head, formulate the plan, and know I have the means to execute, I need to send it.
So I did! And I told Ian, I will give you a holler if I need any help! We had some really good conversations, and I ended up taking a bunch of notes on those conversations as well! What we talked about was pretty cool, we talked about building an 8020 frame around some bikes, two bikes to be exact. What we were thinking, was using them to help me get walking! We talked about that, and then we circled back on some of the conversations we were having the day before about what questions I can ask my therapists! I need to ask them, “If I was a professional athlete, what would my training plan look like?” Then, we had also talked about some of the exercises, and some of the other moves I was doing to try and get some feedback! I really appreciate the help!
Callie and I ended up getting some food out to eat! We parked at the Whole Fud, and then got a decent spot to then get down and around to eat! turned out to be a pretty good week, all things considered. It’s kind funny how I can have an accident in my pants these days, and still somehow turn it all around on itself. It is progress still! I need to remind myself of this! Without forward thinking, we could just lay in bed and feel sorry for ourselves. I don’t want to do that, I got these legs to help! Just one day at a time!
Also, if anyone reading this has found any value in what I’m writing, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, a like, or share it with someone you know! I really appreciate all the help and support in this time, and I want to be able to help anyone who needs that help as well! Thanks!
The Astronaut on Earth 
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