Sylvia's Journal

Today is the 1st day that I have woken up without Sylvia beside me. Very odd and unsettling. Not from the point of feeling helpless or any of the earlier things associated with rehabilitation but with wondering how she’s going to do in the bigger world where rehab rules don’t play so well, where timeliness is an assumption, speed necessary, exhaustion isn’t condoned and full mobility is expected.

She’s gone to a 3 day meeting of the Organizational Behaviour Teaching Conference (OBTC) at Babson College in Wellesley. It’s a group of people who she loves to be with and with whom she hits some of her highest creative peaks. The group has always been concerned with addressing one of the most basic of humanistic questions – how do you use education to lead people to be more inquiring and to think more fully about advocacy. In the OBTC case this takes place in schools of management – business schools – where inquiry and advocacy are perhaps more important – and arguably in less supply – because of the centrality of commerce in shaping the direction of our nation. And, did I say that getting to inquiry and advocacy is often incredibly fun with this group? Makes going back to school – or teaching in one – seem a great idea.

My energy level seems to be getting better as I’m getting better at attacking the really stiff muscles and restrengthening my legs and back. I can’t say enough for the complementary effects of massage – and Abi Axelrod – to physical therapy and exercise. I’m feeling more whole. Having people talk about and manipulate one body part as if the rest were non-existent isn’t much to make you feel whole.

Where’s the energy going?

Into therapy, mental and physical and spiritual; lots into conversations with good friends, and walking. And I’ve been producing a set of greeting cards for Chuck and Anzie and lacking good business sense, I’ve been modifying them, revising things I did at the outset of my graphic design program and trying some new things. The focus is great – and welcome and unusual – but the speed of delivery is probably not what it ought to be. Well, another instance of the rehab world colliding with th real world. I hope Sylvia is having a soft collision.

And Sita’s birthday is tomorrow and Tessa is climbing further into the graphic design world in Canada. We are so blessed.