In a nutshell, I got the tomatoes, peas and peppers planted. And then I got a call. (Came as a bunch of texts first; you never want to wake up to that many messages as a certain foreboding comes over you in an instant that "No one's texting me at 3 in the morning with good news.")
In fact, the news wasn't good, but it could've been worse. Amazing how in an instant, your ways of prioritizing things can get instantly rearranged.
My brother was in an automobile accident. (This I have written about; we're keeping a CaringBridge page for him, so if you know him and care to follow the more technical side of his rehab journey feel free to bookmark it; it's at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/edevins) As for me (and in large part, Roz) we'll be sticking to the karlensgarden blog here as how this plays out is becoming a garden unto itself, albeit a different kind of garden for sure.
For sure life CAN change on a dime. And best I can tell, you can either spazz over it, or you can roll... In this case, we're rolling. (In Ed's case, we're literally rolling as wheelchairs have become a big part of where we're living now, but you can read about that on his page.)
Once past the trauma of it all, we were encouraged to come to this place called Shepherd Center...one of the nation's leading spinal cord injury rehab facilities, located in Atlanta, GA. My brother (full confession here)... preferred Nashville, as seeing his friends and family on a regular basis he felt would keep his spirits higher than moving 4 hours away where drop ins would not be quite as frequent. (Smart of him to know what lifts him up; meanwhile, everyone, and I do mean EVERYone handling his case back at Vandy said "For the most thorough rehab in your specific situation, Shepherd's is the recommendation.")
Given the company factor was a big consideration, I offered freely "I'll go!" not knowing in that instant just HOW I'd go or who'd take care of things...but I knew having someone there with him in the early stages in particular, was going to be key, so in my "Commit now/Figure it out later" style I was (and am) happy to be here, though I must say, first time off the farm in 5 years, it's been a bit of a culture shock.
This is my version of seek ye first the kingdom (not to spin scripture on you) but I'm convinced that if we start with what we feel in our hearts is the highest and most giving thing to do, the rest will be added unto...taken care of by our creator. It's worked for me this far in life. Why stop believing now?
That said, as with gardens, so with life and in particular, the curveballs such as that we're living today: it takes a village. Not only does Ed have a beautiful support network of family and friends pulling him through, but my own is making this possible for me, so many thanks are due all the way around, both directly and indirectly. In short, we are both living in a state of perpetual gratitude these days. I'm finding it helps.
Next blog: The Roz Report. (Learning to play with others that don't look a thing like her (as she is used to back home)...well, that's been a learning curve unto itself... Pictured above is Roz...at the local dog park...n o t q u i e t sure she's game for playing with Ludwig, the German Shepherd she just met... ("Think I'll just stand up here on the picnic table above the fray," says Roz.) At this stage, she's more familiar with people than dogs, but this too, is a learning curve and a big part of her therapy training.
Meanwhile, if one of us is stepping out of his comfort zone, we're ALL gonna step out our comfort zones, after all, we're in this together. And as we all know, nothing new gets learned in the comfort zone.
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