Thursday Thoughts

The PSP Affair, Part 1

My romance with PSP started two years ago. Yes, romance. I can assure you that no man in my life has every received this much of my time or fascination.

It started as therapy. Two strokes had robbed me of many things I had taken for granted. For several months, I had been a prisoner in my own body. Unable to do the simplest of things - roll over in bed, stand up without a walker, take care of basic hygiene. Looking up, down or in a mirror produced incredible dizziness and nausea. Despite these symptoms, I somehow knew that I had to keep moving , even when the movement was clumsy and the world seemed to sway in front of me. So I continued the struggle each day and very gradually my persistence was rewarded. The vertigo resolved and the walker was replaced with a cane.

Despite this huge improvement, I still lacked many fine motor skills. My fingers seemed disconnected from my brain. Buttons wouldn't button, pens wouldn't write legibly and objects continually leapt from my hands. My thoughts were disconnected too. I couldn't keep my mind focused on anything. Conversations and TV shows had large blank spots. The day's reading disappeared overnight. It seemed reasonable that my fingers and mind needed the same persistent exercise that had helped my body. My daughter had become involved in virtual scrapbooking and I loved her creations. So when I saw an online course for PSP, I decided to give it a try. I hoped that the struggle to learn something new and control graphic tools would be the therapy that my mind and fingers needed.

And that's how the affair began.

I'll share a little more of the PSP affair in next Thursday's Thoughts. But be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday's Freebie.