notes on trauma

last september marked 14 years of living with a traumatic brain injury. below are several bits i wrote during my recovery.

looking through them, i noticed how much i was trying. always trying. to rebuild myself. to accept myself. to live above circumstance.

so i wrote then wrote again.

if you want to see more, head over to my instagram page.

notebook: 2015

10 years out, i stood on the beach and wrote some learnings

1. despite your hardships, the world keeps spinning. move with it.
2. people will forget, even when you can't. But you don't have to.
3. don’t believe in miracles. make one.
4. the sun beats hard on everyone. grow in its rays.
5. trauma is a giant, endless wave.
6. if unsure, trust yourself.
7. when you want to speak, listen.
8. life is full of small decisions. own the ones you choose.
9. your brain. your choices.
10. be friends with uncertainty. it's not going anywhere.

notebook: 2014

“my hope is that my words could one day help a boy who thinks he’s lost and alone realize his path is just different”

notebook: 2013

“we can’t hold signs that read: yes, i have lived through some shit, so we are silent”

notebook: 2019

…i am not my disability. but it is certainly a part of me. i cannot severe the tie that binds us together. and i am no longer trying to.”