There is Always a Bright Side

 I believe that this life was not made to be easy, and isn't for anyone. I know that that that sure does not have a positive side sometimes, but I believe and have optimism in the idea that it is that way for everyone. Whether it be a serious injury that someone is enduring, an essay that someone is stumped on that could hold the key to the other side of their life, or just a down day, life sure can seem bad or even miserable. It is easy to trip or fall down for a day, or the rest of one's life, but they don't have to. I know that one may live a life that is putrid, negative, and not good, but they may hold optimism on that ideal too. I have a foundation in the idea of being optimistic. I believe that a life that is terrible, can be terrific too, for anyone.

December 6, 2008, three sisters' lives changed forever. They were on their way to Kohl's as if it were any other normal winter day. They were going to the store, and then to their older brother's basketball game, like any odd or ordinary Friday. The sun was beautiful, doing its duty, melting the snow. Spring was coming, they knew. They were optimistic in their life. The two younger sisters, who were 10 and 11, always arguing over who would get the front seat of the car, next to their older, 16-year-old sister, because they swore they were older than they actually were. It was the 11-year-old's turn. The sun was perfect during that one simple turn that turned everything, way too quick. The oldest sister was blinded by the sun's glare and didn't spot another car that was making the turn with them. Crash. The green Grand Am collapsed over the 11-year-old, knocking both her and the driver out, making them both appear dead, at least what you could see of them. The youngest sister started hyperventilating immediately. She didn't know what to do. Luckily, the angels were watching all three of them that day, as the person who saw the unlucky situation called 911, and they all lived. The two oldest suffered from some brain damage, the middle daughter who sat right where they got hit is still recovering. They all survived, and are getting better each day. 

I was that middle daughter, who wished she was older than she was. That day, my life changed forever. A car ran over me, but the angels were watching over me that day. I didn't break a single bone, amazingly. None of my sisters did. All of us weren't held back a single year in school, even though we spent a fair amount of time in the hospital. I was in a medication-induced coma, and couldn't do much. When I woke up, I had to relearn to do almost everything again. I even had to change the hand that I grew up writing with, my right hand to my left hand. Everything changed from right to left side, and my right side is still recovering, and getting used to the small or large moves it used to make every day. I have every reason in the world to give up, but even now, though the years have been long and are only getting longer, I don't. I am optimistic (or at least I am trying to be). 

I would be lying if I said this injury, plus all the treatments I have had, didn't make me look different. They did in more ways than they have made me gain a limp that had been awfully hard to recover from. My right arm went through a Greens Transfer, where they moved around some things in my body, to make it easier for me to move my right thumb and wrist. That treatment left my arm with a few scars, that were only fun to show my friends and classmates for a time. The TBI that I received even made it hard to smile straight for a while. The left side of my mouth was always just a little further up when I try. That can be a burden at times, because of the way it makes me look, but I try to be optimistic. At least I can still smile. 

The car accident greatly affected things like sports that I could play. I couldn't run anymore with my limp, or do anything with the ball with my right hand, or foot. I could do barely anything extreme without injuring my right side. I never was really that athletic, even before the accident, but you don't know how much you appreciate something until it is taken away. The car accident tried to knock me down, but there was no way that I was staying there. Instead, I did a new sport. I learned how to ride horses at Hearts&Horses Therapeutic Riding Center. The idea was that if I learned how to control the horse, I could learn how to control my body again. Indeed, it helped, especially in how the different horses had different mindsets; some were loyal and obedient, while others were stubborn and a real case. Even that helped me, in that I was reminded that every person was different too. Everyone was different, including me, and that wasn't a bad thing. Nothing in life is bad unless you make it so. 

"You can't progress any further. It is pretty likely that this will be as far as you will go." Though I love them and have a great deal to be thankful for, I hate it when my doctors or therapists tell me this. I learned quickly (after a few years) that they can say this if they want to, but it is up to me to decide whether or not to believe them. I can believe what they may say about my physical limitations or abilities, or I can believe in myself. (Just ask my wonderful current therapist, I do a stretch for longer than I am supposed to, because they are comfortable to me, or make me feel normal (which is a different type of tightness...for another day).) ("Put your arm down, Brooke! We are done with that one.") Even my past therapist that I used to smirk at (on purpose) knew what they were in for when they told me that I couldn't do much more and my glance made the response, "Just watch me." Look out world! Here I come, with a fully functioning body once more. No matter how they may try, no one can sputter out my optimism. 

And so, I joyfully write. Nothing can keep me down. No matter if anyone or anything changes my life unexpectantly, you take away a certain sport I can play. Try to hold me back with words, thinking that is enough. I will always come back for more. I am optimistic about everything. No one can take the world from me, there is always something else. Just look at your trials from a different angle, and regret nothing. 

Even you can't keep me down. The world has tried plenty of times before, none of the attempts were successful.