Dwellings In The Rearview


I know, I know... the title is pretty synonymous with my overused statement of “keep moving forward” but oh well, here we are. 

So something happened while I was sitting next to my girlfriend and puppy on the front porch this last weekend. The weather felt like a cool and tranquil fall morning which oddly calmed me even though I’m dreading the end of summer. Kass and I spent a few hours away from any and all screens and slow drank our coffees and enjoyed a calm Saturday morning, me in my chair and her and the pup in the pallet bed that she made. I just sat there thinking about how much I’ve grown and changed and about how great my life is. 

I also started thinking about how miserable I would be if I were dwelling on how my life used to be. I am so proud of myself for being able to keep old aspects of my life behind me and continue to build this new life with my little family. I was sitting there sipping on my coffee without a care in the world and it was pretty damn nice. 

I know that I am essentially repeating myself about redefining my life but I am just really happy and excited about what is coming with my future. It would be so toxic for me to sit there and think about working on my bike or going for a motorcycle ride through the state. Instead, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. This has only happened a handful of times for me since my injury. It can be so daunting not to dwell on past events or things that I used to be able to do. But it’s exactly that... a past. I finally feel right living and thriving in the here-and-now. I looked at my girlfriend and my puppy next to my beautiful home and I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.

Self care is extremely important. Through social media I get to see how a lot of people with similar spinal cord injuries act and talk and it can sometimes be very disheartening for me to see how toxic people can become. Granted that’s just a human element and you’ll find that anywhere, but I wish that I could help influence or help them. 

My injury doesn’t define me, my attitude does. With help and support, I get to have an incredible life. There are huge things coming my way in the next few months so I will always continue to look forward and keep my negative thoughts behind me. Obviously I have my days where I’m frustrated that I'm unable to do something. However , I love these little reminders that despite all of the trials of this crazy life of paralysis, life is great. It’s always great to have these snap-backs to reality where I’m just me. I’m not Josh in the chair, I’m just Josh drinking coffee with his awesome girlfriend or Josh drinking a beer with the guys. 

I guess long story short, life rolls on... 🙌🏻

God Bless.

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