This is what it is About!

This might be what blogging is all about.  You see, I met a gal in Eugene, while there for the Track & Field Olympic Trials, and when I got home we became friends on FB.  

At least that's how I think we met. 

Of course I immediately forgot how I had met her, and am still not sure.  I read her posts, and enjoyed seeing pics of her here in K-Town last summer and thought, Wow, she has family here? That thought was followed quickly by How did I meet her/how do I know her?  

Anyway, here's the connection or at least a connection:  I had been a track star when I was younger but she is a track star now!  She competed in the Master's World meet!  I was so excited to write about my find that I've only read bits of her husband's blog http://minnows-team.blogspot.com, but I was tickled by the picture with her 4x400 relay team.

They were bronze medalists at WORLD'S!  She's only been married a little longer than me so we're both newlyweds... well kinda.  I read her husband's blog about her dialogue with her relay team.  Oh, she's that teammate! I thought. Every team needs someone like that. Reason: because then all the other teammates try to reassure her, and because they are busy with that, they can forget their own frazzled nerves!

Here's a shout out to Betty Shaefer!  Master Trackster Extraordinaire!

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.  

Upworthy

Let me start by saying I consider Face Book, as well as Pinterest, simply new wave magazines.  I can browse, read the things that interest me, or turn the page.  And reading is not my only option, I can actually watch video clips; really well done video clips that make me wish I had some how ended up in that industry rather than education. 

I can picture myself putting together really fun, informative pieces of film, or at least being part of a team that does.  I am a very good team player!

Anyway, I saw a couple of real neat things this morning.  I saw that Bill Gates was someone's Secret Santa. He donated to a cool organization that provides things that will help feed families in 3rd world countries, and to represent the gift he had given in her name she received a cute plush cow toy. That Bill sure is clever, isn't he?

And then I saw where a man was going to be given $25,000. He was supposed to make a movie trailer, but then got the movie company's permission to take those dollars to the Phillipines to procure food and other essentials for the survivors of the world's hugest typhoon.  He bought the stuff, ferried it via bus (there were no trucks big enough) to the areas most in need, and repackaged it into family bags. Finally, he was part of actually handing those bags to typhoon survivors.

The sight where I find all this cool stuff is called Upworthy, you should go there.

Loving Myself?

I returned to my home town kinda broken, but things have gone better than anticipated.  Home for  ~5 years now, I found a perfect mate; perfect for me that is.  He is kind, caring, and very easy to love.  We laugh, a lot, and live simply.   

But, back to me of course because I'm the blogger, dam it!  And, I now remember that I was going to focus more on How I live with the effects of my head injury.

By kinda broken, I don't mean physically; it was more of an emotional instability I know stemmed from my head injury. The old adage No one will love you until you love yourself, kept rattling around in my head.  My conclusion was that I think very highly of myself; at least deep down anyway.  My core belief being, I am better than just OK; I have a lot to offer!  

But even as I write this I find myself returning to statements that include guess/might/maybe/probably and solidifying the statement by removing those words.  If I can write less wishy washy then I know for sure I am living with less self doubt!

Truth is, I may not have really loved myself until Dan showed me that I was lovable. 

So there it is, you can love somebody before you love your self, if that person is willing to help you get to the point of loving, not just them, but yourself.

And Again...

It happened.

Flipping through Pinterest, (Pinterest = magazine) I stop on a Christmas treat and think, I've see this before.

The recipe called for popped corn, M and M's, pretzel pieces and vanilla candy melt.  I immediately remember Yeah, !  I was goon make this and get those real cute bags I saw at...

But, because I had just written about my unrealistic plans, I stopped and thought,  Oh, this just happened.  Hmm?  It didn't end well either.  I then made a conscious decision to not continue planning, and I turned the page.

Wow!  Add to Reasons for Blogging:  Assists Head-Injured in recalling embarrassing moments Just in Time