Reunion with Friends

A short memory - the summer before my accident, I attended a select artistic camp called Pennsylvania’s Governor’s School for the Arts.  The experience was wonderful, and I formed dozens of friendships that we swore would never end, but all eventually dissolved as the inevitable reality of growing up occurred.  At the time of my accident, however, the friendships were still strong and the friends connected from various spots in Pennsylvania and made a trip to see me in Philadelphia.


What I remember most is the pure joy at seeing everyone.  My life had changed, but that didn’t mean everything from the past was lost.  Seeing my friends from Governor’s School helped me to realize that.  They came to visit me in the hospital, and I remember filling the lounge where we gathered with laughter and smiles.  They all felt sad for my situation, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t bask in the joy of reunion.


What i take from this memory is the refusal to be depressed.  I did have depression at many times in my recovery, but I’m a performer so I didn’t want to show this - a sort of “fake it till you make it” philosophy.  While some of my positive attitude was falsely put on, by saying I was doing okay helped to convince my body that I was okay.

I don’t mean to sound overly optimistic or to belittle pain, but with this entry I want to encourage a smile.  As I write this, I am torn because these words do seem trite or cliché, but I also remember that by saying I’m getting better and I’m going to work through this, I made those statements a reality.  A positive attitude and insistence on smiling exploded any luck I had into an even fuller recovery.