Over the New Year, I had taken the opportunity to step back and reflect on the findings in Chapter 19, drawing what I thought were some logical conclusions. During that prior period, having had my follow-up appointment with the neurologist that had been arranged off the back of the issues experienced in Chapter 18, I … Continue reading Chapter 21: If at first you don’t succeed … (Part 2 – Feb 2022) →

I’ve always been a bit of an “all or nothing” character, even before my brain injury. In the past, in a work or academic environment say, whenever I found something that I was good at I would thrive on it, building my knowledge and capabilities until - as arrogant as it sounds - I was … Continue reading Chapter 20: If at first you don’t succeed … (Part 1 – Feb 2022) →

On returning from holiday last summer, my wife was in the process of transitioning to a new job - resulting in a much needed reduction in the intensity of her working day - giving her the opportunity to make some changes to her daily routine that she was hoping to make stick. Consequently, she unilaterally … Continue reading Chapter 19: Going back to the drawing board … and finding my “thing”? (Dec 2021) →

If I had to pick a single point when things went pear shaped, it would probably be the evening of Sunday June 27th. On the spur of the moment, I decided to make the drive to Banbury station - an 87 mile round trip, as it turned out - for no other reason than to … Continue reading Chapter 18: Broadening my horizons … and coming to the end of the road →

“Moving on” has not gone as smoothly as I hoped it might. Whilst I know full well that the “1 planned thing” model is my optimal way of living, most days I still give serious consideration to whether I could perhaps try to extract a bit more from myself - and either being disappointed at … Continue reading Chapter 17: A bit of give and take →

There’s a fine line between curiosity and downright stupidity. As it turns out, this is a line that I had unwittingly crossed on multiple occasions during the exploits recorded in the previous chapter. The consequence of this has been an extended cycle of boom and bust - pushing myself to do things and so blowing … Continue reading Chapter 16: Moving on →

This month’s musings again see me making reference to Donald. Not “The Donald” this time, but a different one. Instead, it is that renowned philosopher and thinker - Donald Rumsfeld - to whom I refer. For those unfamiliar with his work, he was the US Secretary of Defence during the Iraq War who introduced the … Continue reading Chapter 15: Staying curious … and continuing to adapt →

When I came around from an induced coma roughly 4 years ago, one of the first things that I remember becoming aware of was that Donald Trump had been declared the new POTUS. With hindsight, that should have been a clue for me that I was now residing in an entirely different dimension to the … Continue reading Chapter 14: A new beginning? →

It took around a week to re-acclimatise to normal daily life after returning from holiday. I had already pressed the panic button at least once - pleading with my wife to allow me to get the cleaner in twice a week because I couldn’t keep up with the vacuuming - and was on the cusp … Continue reading Chapter 13: Letting go … and allowing myself to belong →

Riding less often has been challenging. Like trying to wean yourself off a highly addictive drug, perhaps? You know you really should try not to take it so much, but the feeling that you get from it is like nothing else. I find this drug particularly addictive as it is the only thing that enables … Continue reading Chapter 12: Doing > Being > Becoming > Belonging →