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Mailbox and Aphasia

Recently I completed a very simple project. Our old mailbox post is comprised of one 40 year old 4 x 4 post and the horizontal supports made by two 2 x 4’s.

Through the years, all the boards have splintered. I have tried to fix the boards for years with nails, screws, etc.

Our neighbor’s mailbox basically fell off several months ago and I tried to fix it with new screws. 

Last week when my wife was out of town, I decided to completely fix the whole thing. I did this when she was out of town because she’s very nervous when I use any tools at all. 

Because of my strokes, vision loss and my aphasia, it is a little difficult for me to do simple handyman jobs that used to be second nature to me. I sold my tablesaw but kept my miter box.

I did complete the job. No blood was shed.

But quite honestly, in the old days it would’ve taken me maybe 30 minutes to do this whole job.

This job took at least 10 hours including brakes because sometimes I get overheated and dizzy which is common with strokes and fibromuscular dysplasia.

It was actually fun for me to figure out how to complete the project. I had a small level, hammer, cordless drill, drill bits, different screws, small angle brackets, black spray paint, etc. Using some of those simple tools were exhausting for me because of the complex brain activity I had to expend.

The most difficult part of the job was measuring the new boards. Using a tape measure is incredibly difficult for me because it’s difficult for me to understand numbers.

I cut two new 2 x 6 brackets. But I wanted the brackets to be centered to the post. The 2 x 6’s were cut 16 inches a piece. It was difficult for me to understand that half was 8 inches.

Double checked it several times.

I also asked my son to double check it as well. My son helped me level the new brackets. Also helped me spray paint the wood.

It was a great father son day and was very rewarding for me just to do something constructive.

But I simply miss the logical process of doing a handyman project. When used to help build houses and you made a living installing carpet with sophisticated measurements, it is still disheartening when I cannot understand how to measure a 16 inch board.

So odd. 


Comments

Rebecca Dutton said…
Such a more meaningful way to keep our brains active instead of paying for Luminosity computer games. I bet you will feel good every time you see that mailbox.
August 20, 2018 at 7:14 AM
Annsterw said…
Great job! MY boyfriend suffered a stroke a few months ago so this is all new to us. Thank you so for sharing your life in this blog as it is such a useful resource for us as we deal with the unknown and recovery. I am now following you; you can follow back if you wish at Annster's Domain
August 22, 2018 at 5:22 AM
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