Sylvia's Journal

As Axel and I are want to do, our conversation drifted yesterday afternoon and this morning to the consulting projects that Axel has been coaching me on at least bi-monthly for years. We have been cultivating new approaches to regional visioning and community planning with an eye toward sustainability.

Relief #4 – Characteristic of Axel, the stream of astute and probing questions began to flow. My friends, he is all there. Whew…now that’s a relief. I should hasten to add that he now has a copy of the new Harry Potter book, and he wanted to know the plot twists for the two preceding books he has skipped. The last one is tough to follow if you haven’t done your homework. Mercifully, I filled him in.

He is enjoying the stimulation of real dialogue about real things of importance. He said it was great to get some conversation that wasn’t about his injuries, or other people’s injuries, or the damn puree. He’s all there. It would be a service to him to engage his mind as before. Think of it like visiting the Oracle in the matrix, except it’s Axel that’s plugged in, or Yoda in his little hut in the forest. I believe it will be one more lifeline pulling him back to productivity, self-esteem, and a vision of a bright future.

As a reminder of why it is so important to get out of a hospital as quickly as you can I will relay the following vignette. After Axel had consumed one of Sita’s a fine fruit smoothies, he said he had a bit of heartburn. So, he rang the nurse’s call button. When a voice from the intercom on the wall behind the bed answered, Axel asked for some Tums to settle his tummy. Sita repeated the request to be sure they heard it clearly. Moments later, Tung, the Vietnamese orderly appeared in the room asking what Axel wanted. Axel said, “I’d like some Tums, please.” Tung said “Your tummy?” “Yes” said Axel “I need some Tums for my Tummy.” “I’ll get your nurse,” replied Tung.

A few minutes later Axel’s nurse appeared. “I brought your pain medicine.” “I don’t need painkillers, I need some Tums” replied Axel. “Oh, alright. But here, take these anyway” she said. Axel complied. A few minutes later she came back with the Tums (two rolls). Yikes!

Relief #5 – Axel moved today to the Shaunesy Rehab Center at the Salem Hospital.

The ambulance drivers got lost, but got there. I got lost too. Between Harry Potter in the CD player, and that @#%&! navigator lady in the dashboard, I damn near drove to Providence before I came to. Between disc 4 and 5 I had just given myself another hour of driving through the middle of Boston.

Axel is now settled in a more spacious room with a larger window and a view of trees. He is feeling very pleased to be taking control of his body back from Tung and the UMass machine.

The march up Rehab Road begin tomorrow. “…But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough. It is generally said that the British [and Magnusons!] are often better at the last. They do not expect to move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble chance of war; but when they very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months – if it takes years – they do it.” – Winston Churchill.