Today I drove to Barnes and Noble bookstore. Before my strokes and my aphasia, reading was my hobby and my therapy. Despite two years of vision therapy reading is still difficult for me. I used to read three or four books at a time. Today, I wandered through the aisles and became more progressively depressed. I left the store and I took a picture of me outside looking into the store. That is how I feel. My wife reminded me that at least I could drive to the store alone. She stressed that I am much better off than many survivors. That is true. But I’m still sad. Libraries and bookstores were a huge refuge to me. I could escape into a book and leave my reality behind. My reality is missing books. Almost 8 years.
I am a stroke survivor. My blog is about my recovery, family, and possibilities.