Recovery is my theme for the month of September. In my nursing career, I have watched recovery every day at different levels. Long before solid recovery starts and through early stages. When recovery is in full swing, I occasionally have the privilege of meeting someone in life or worked side by side with them. A healthy person can almost seem invisible when the disease or condition has become dwarfed by robust health of body, mind and spirit. It’s the in-between part that I see and have seen over the years. I’m not just talking about active addiction to alcohol or drugs. The particular usage of the word recovery seems attached like a neon sign. I’m talking about cancer, diabetes, heart disease and of course my own recovery within epilepsy. Recovery may involve some repair, surgical or pharmaceutical, physical therapy or counselling, but the most solid recovery I have witnessed is when an individual’s attitude changes from ‘poor me’ to the process of learning to stand and walk. Of the many I have known in recovery from a variety of conditions, some have died of their disease. So recovery doesn’t necessarily mean a long and healthy life, but does mean that, with acceptance and gratitude, an individual's life can be lived in fullness on a daily basis.
“You were sick, but now you’re well again, and there’s work to do.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake
Author's note: Edited December 25, 2023
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