23 Years Since

This time I'll start with the head injury aspect of my situation, so I don't forget. Memory is a hard thing for those of us who have hit our heads really hard. But, I am fortunate that my recall of way-back-when is not so bad, it's the day to day stuff that's hard to retain.

Throughou the holiday season, I've been running into childhood/family friends and acquaintances.  It's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two, because there were folks around here who knew of me even if I didn't know them.  And I've come to realize there are people who assume that we were closer than I remember.  That part my stem from the TBI.

My dad owned and ran the town's favorite watering hole  (my family referred to it as The Bar.) It was simply a beer joint with sawdust on the floor, swinging doors and relaxed atmosphere. Really good homemade pizza and sandwiches are also on the menu which hangs on the wall near the kitchen.   It's the kind of place you can walk into, guaranteed to find someone you know. Lots of locals hang there, as do cool tourists.  Dad was also the local radio voice for both high school football and basketball back in the day. 

Because of The Bar and dad's radio fame, people knew me first as my dad's daughter.  

Another reason was that I ran fast. I broke, and held several high school, and state track records in sprints, hurdles, and long jump.  I continued running at the University of Oregon, where I hold a record I set 30 years ago, and  I even ran in the '80 and '84 Olympic Trials. 

Dad, the consummate bartender, was very friendly, and was certain everyone was just as interested in his children as he was.  Hence, many bar regulars were better versed in AIAW/NCAA women's track and field than I probably was. 

Finally, folks know me because I was in a serious car crash and sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury. That was in 1991, when we were living in Southern California, and it did some serious long term damage; I was in La La Land for some time, and lost much needed motor skills.  Needless to say, the folks back at The Bar in Montana then became quite knowledgeable regarding head trauma.  

So, if people had lost track of me over the years (I lived all over the North West as well as California) they became reaquainted with me after hearing Moose's daughter, the track star, almost died in a car accident, and is probably still a basket case!

My issue:  When I see people only occasionally and that know me, but don't know me, I realize that what flashes on screen in their brain is this:  Lexie - Moose's daughter - track star - HEAD INJURY! They see me limp, and one of my eyes wander and begin to talk very slow, and very loud.  That's when I want to shout, My hearing was not effected!

HOW... ARE... YOU... DOING/FEELING???  They ask as if I was just released from the hospital.  It has been 23 years since my crash, after all.