Stroke recovery and deodorant

Last weekend I was in Austin, Texas for a meeting. I’m on the Board of the Idaho Housing and Finance Association and this was a national meeting.

During the trip to Austin, I was thinking of all the travel I used to do professionally. I was the CEO of the Idaho Association of Realtors®️, the lobbyist and a vice president at Boise State University, and the director of the Associated General Contractors in Idaho. With those jobs I also traveled throughout the state and the Northwest.

That means from 1984 until January 10, 2012 I traveled extensively for work: Hundreds of flights, airports, conference rooms, and hotel rooms.

One morning in Austin, I laid out my travel bag with items such as a razor and a toothbrush.

I was struck about those ordinary items that are used to take for granted.

In the hospital right after my massive stroke, my therapists patiently made me name those items. For toiletry items, I had to figure out how to use them.

It was incredibly humbling and perplexing for me. I didn’t know how to shave. I have no concept of a toothbrush. Deodorant was a foreign thing.

I was getting ready for my morning meeting in Austin I took a picture of those items could I used to routinely use.

Even now, I have to be very deliberate using those items. I have my routine. Often I have to pause for a moment make sure that I did everything correctly.

I’m grateful that I have the ability to be useful again. And I never take anything for granted especially deodorant!

Comments

Rebecca Dutton said…

As a stroke survivor I so get this post.

October 21, 2018 at 7:39 AM

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