This Feels Familiar: Part 2 – The Basics

In Part 1, I wrote about how the isolation that is coming with the current pandemic feels familiar as it’s similar to the isolation we often experience post-stroke. Another part of the pandemic reality that feels similar to post-stroke reality is appreciating the basics. The little basics of our day to day life that often get passed by when the pace of our days quickens and we become distracted from the small things that make up our day.

Through these slower days, I’ve noticed how much I look forward to dinner. Not just as a time to eat, but as a time to sit down with some simplicity, a time to connect, and a time for conversation. I’ve also taken note of how much I look forward to reading before bed, to going to bed and sleeping, and to getting up (early) for a yoga practice in the morning; all simple routine.

After my stroke, my life became a time of really appreciating the basics. Pace of life changed, and there were days that left just the basics filling the day. I remember how much I liked having the feeling of sunshine on my face for the first time since coming out of the hospital. How much I appreciated re-learning simple skills of being able to tie my shoelaces, how to clap, and walking up a set of stairs; the small things that had been taken for granted when the pace of my days were much quicker and how each and every one of the milestones through recovery made me appreciate that skill, that opportunity, that experience.

After experiencing these significant changes, appreciating the basics isn’t always an easy thing to do. To begin, find one simple thing that you enjoy through your day and take a moment to smile about it. Now and post-stroke, there’s endless opportunities to appreciate the basics. Because that’s what we have, the basics.