10 Home Survival Tips

The Burn Lady screamed all night long. I could avoid hearing her during the day
since I had to go downstairs for therapy. I would do extra therapy, staying on the
first floor for prolonged talks with Carol Karagaro my speech therapist. Anything to
avoid staying on the main floor and listening to the painful howls that seemed
endless.

I always put on my cowboy hat when I left my bedroom, which was directly across
the hall from the burn-lady's. I wore it tilted over one eye. Sometimes I didn't
want to see clearly. When I felt enthusiastic I wore it back, showing my forehead
and expressive eyes. It prepared me to ride the bucking bronco or any difficult task
at hand. Unlike the black leather Australian outback hat that became part of my
costume-armour de rigour at age 26, my rehabilitation cowboy hat was tall, white and
a Stetson. I still only want the best.

Eric, who was eight going on nine, would grab the hat from my head, put it in his
lap, and take off like a buckeye out of a shot gun. I found peace from the moans
that chased me while chasing my wayward Tonto past the nurse's station. ....

People who have never, for example, been hit by a truck, train or, never been in an
airplane crash seem mystified how a previously uninjured person can survive and
thrive after a severe injury. Whether or not the spinal cord is broken is in many
ways irrelevant. Here are some quick tips: ...

# 10. Most importantly, don't let suffering or fear distract you from joy. Anywhere
is Home.