Tag Archives: nap

Of the unintentional path to snoozyland…….

Today has been a difficult day. I did way too much over the weekend, and experienced a lot of problems, particularly today. BUT, as I came into the house finally this afternoon at three and sat down to watch a little TV, my body took over……it was suddenly 7, and though I had no intention of having that happen, it was a welcome break!

I think Amanda can tell I have been struggling. She has written a few blogs for me, and I know she still would, but I want to not just dive into the safety net every time I struggle. Even without a stroke, life isn’t always easy, and I believe it really can destroy your sense of direction, and even your self-worth, if you too often take the escape routes every time something gets hard. Clearly my life is very challenging now, but if I don’t engage it, I know I will regret it later. And though it is often harder to take the path I am on, in the end I believe it is all worth it….just like the Robert Frost poem!

I know I often talk about my stroke and my struggles with it, but that’s because it is constantly in front of me. If you spend time with me, you may not see it at all, but I see it all the time. I really don’t mean to have it dominate anything I write about or talk about, but my dealing with it is part of how they say I get better. My expectations for myself are very high, yet my progress with it is way too slow (for me at least). Hopefully in time I will not think about it, or see it before me at all.

Until then, I suppose you will have to deal with me……part of your hard and uneasy path I am sure. But for now me and my struggles are going to head to bed, for intentional naps are far better than the non-intentional ones. And I am looking forward to a restful night and a peaceful end to this exhausting weekend!

Keep the faith my friends!

Tom+

Of traveling through space and time…….

Do you remember as a kid falling asleep in your parents’ car on a long trip? I do. You could never understand why they were so tired and looked so spent. After all, you were asleep shortly after pulling out of the driveway and unconscious most of the way. To you, it seemed like minutes, or even instantaneous. In fact, while you snoozed, a lot of miles went on that car, and usually on your parents as well.

Our son Ben often has the same experience. His carseat seems to be an amazing sleep-aid, and he sees very little when we drive other than the back of his eye lids. Of course the rest of my family is not too much better. If there were a kingdom of car-sleepers my wife Amanda would be their queen. Steph sleeps a lot in the car too. Scott WILL stay up and navigate BUT ONLY if he is allowed to sit in the front seat. I clearly live with a family of snoozers, and I am worried that it might be contagious.

Here’s why….last night, after an extremely good day for me, I sat down in our recliner to write Friday’s entry on this blog. It was probably a little after 10pm when I started, yet when I looked down to see what I had written (since I didn’t remember) suddenly it showed it was 3:50 am!!! AND, though I was certain I did, I hadn’t written a thing! I apparently needed the rest! But as you know, I am learning…..so instead of being upset or frustrated and trying to push something through, I just calmly closed my laptop, set it on the table, and went up to bed. After all, it is the second day of Neighborhood Garage Sale Day, and my wife (who is absolutely possessed by things like this) I was certain, would have us up in about 5 minutes so we could offer an “early bird special.” Fortunately for me it was one of the many times I have been wrong!

So my day went well, but my night seemed just like one of those car rides I described. I did wake up this morning with a headache, but hopefully that will be gone soon. I am just thankful for the opportunity the Lord gives me to live this, and every day. And, I intend to make the most of it!

My friend Kelly arrives tonight (he is a priest form Ohio) so that he can take the services for me tomorrow. And Deacon Dan is covering Nashville tonight. Everyone is doing a lot for us and for the Church and we deeply appreciate it.

My friends, I hope you enjoy this wonderful day…I hope not to nap (intentionally or unintentionally). I would hate to miss a minute of it!

God Bless.

Tom+