October 28

The first sentence in my devotional this morning was: "Do not expect to be treated fairly in this life." That sentence hit hard. There are times when I feel like saying "this isn't fair" or "why me?" It went on to say "when someone mistreats you, look at it as an opportunity to grow in grace." No one is mistreating me (quite the opposite, actually), but sometimes I do feel like life is mistreating me. Then I think about the next part of that sentence: "an opportunity to grow in grace."

This isn't an experience anyone would want to go through, but I'm trying to see the good in it. On the day I got to rehab, my mom and I looked at each other and said "I'm never taking anything for granted again." It's easy to get caught up in life and not realize how much you have. I mean, little things like brushing your own teeth and tying your shoes. There are people here in a lot worse shape than me. Some people are here to learn how to deal with their condition, knowing they won't get back to 100%.

My aunt texted me and had a good point. She said that these days are important in shaping how I interact with my patients and my approach to getting there. I feel like I've always been good at talking to people and my patients seem to like me. I can only imagine how much better my exams are going to go after all this. It has already changed how I look at everyone.

Some highlights from today include:
-Dusty and his mom arrived for a few days
-I was on my stomach again in OT, but it went a lot better (maybe because there's no trach)
-I was on the treadmill again and did 5 more minutes! Everyone said my posture was much better too
-When the nurse changed my bandage, she said the trach hole was already closing up
-I made my own coffee and filled up my water bottle at the soda machine (this seems small, but I haven't been able to lean far enough to do things life this. I also brushed my teeth at the sink, instead of in a cup)