Tag: self-care
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“One Construction Zone At a Time” // Who Knows What’s Next? for SCI Recovery | Nov 16 – 22 2025
Working On Left Hip – One Construction Zone At a Time
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“Don’t Die Today” – Ocean & Desert Exploration for SCI Recovery | Nov 2 – 8 2025
“Don’t Die Today” – getting back in the groove of daily work/ life routine after SCI and vacation
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Stabilizer Cascade Theory Refinement / Boats, Pukes, & Planes for SCI Recovery | Oct 26 – Nov 1 2025
Trip to San Diego! Stabilizer Cascade theory refining, and figuring out my GI tract.
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Black Hooded Figure //Learning From Others, Social Engagement for SCI Rehab | Oct 19 – 25 2025
Externalization of our minds. Working through the black hooded figures inside ourselves. Learning about the natural frequencies in our bodies. Always something new to be learning.
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New Meaning of The Word ‘Understanding’ – We Only Have What We Remember / Pairing Excitation With Inhibition for SCI Recovery | Oct 12 – 18 2025
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach. Come on and see us together, we’re just some tattered rags stained forever, we only have what we remember. – Listener
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Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Stabilizer Cascade Theory, & ‘Keeping Perspective’ for SCI Recovery | Oct 5 – 11 2025
What do the Uncertainty Principle & The Stabilizer Cascade Theory have in common? Let’s explore these thoughts in this week’s entry!
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Neural Rewiring and GI Triggers for SCI Recovery | Sep 28 – Oct 4 2025
All the work being put in, day in and day out. Feeling some new “rumblings”..
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Wedding Week & Time on My Feet! For SCI Recovery | Sept 14 – 20 2025
Wedding week, and all the amazing events leading up to the big day.
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Wedding Day! | Sept 19 2025
“On Sept 19 2025 I walked down the aisle after spinal cord injury recovery — here’s how the day went.”
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“Re-Entry Week” // Another Step in the Right Direction for SCI Rehab | Aug 31 – Sept 6 2025
8/31 This is another morning of some really full sensations in my lower extremities and joints!! Honestly my ankles have never felt so full! My left leg was even trying to help pull himself up and around onto the footplate too, this morning! Sometimes, I feel like my mind is still here, but my body…
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Making Something From Nothing // Visceral Manipulation for SCI Rehab | Aug 24 – 30 2025
8/24 Okay, I can feel more and more surging into my lower legs! It’s definitely that “creaky” and slow signal, that has reminiscent points of tingle, but it’s slower, like the TV static on basic TV from the 90’s tuning back into focus, with the antenna you have sitting on top! It’s crazy, everything has…
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“Recognize What You’re Feeling, Don’t Tell Yourself What You Are Feeling.” for SCI Recovery | Aug 10 – 16 2025
8/10 when I went to the bathroom for the third time today, I got rather emotional because of the flood of thoughts running through my head. Max, Family, Julia, Callie, Mom, John, Jill, Schmüle, Jake, you name them. It’s always hard in these moments being seemingly removed from the family, but also right there with them.…
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“Crashing Waves in My Mind” // On The Move for SCI Rehab | Aug 3 – 9 2025
“Crashing Waves in My Mind” and explorations of managing sleep after a spinal cord injury
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The Astronaut On Earth
The reasons why I call myself an Astronaut On Earth, it turns out, have been growing as I have been learning more about astronauts, space, neuroscience, kinesiology, and continuing my rehabilitation from my Spinal Cord Injury. I want to take some time to help others understand why I’ve called myself this, and hopefully this will…
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“Can You Kick It?” // Making Connections for SCI Recovery | July 20 – 26 2025
Making new connections while healing from the spinal cord injury makes for a rather interesting experience!
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Lake Michigan // Party Time and Up For 23hrs – SCI Rehab Marathon | July 13 – 19 2025
7/13 My legs are really extending out while I’m laying in supine more and more while I’m waking up in bed! So much to think about when I get down on the floor. Which exercises to do, what to try, what did the PTs tell me to try? What did Therese tell me to try?…
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T-Shirts, Fundraising, and Reciprocal Motion for SCI Rehab | July 6 – 12 2025
7/6 So I always liked mornings, but these days they’re really hard because I gotta wake up and I have such a giant urge to use the restroom. But I did something different this morning, and that was to grab the IdealKnee and start doing my 100’s! What’s interesting is how the sensation has all…
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Sadness vs Unhappiness – Contracting the Ab’s full time for SCI Rehab | June 22 – 28 2025
6/22 Wow was that one of the saddest and most heartfelt moments I’ve had in such a long time. The image of Max, sitting and watching, patiently for me, as I was pulling out of the driveway. I miss that old boy. He knows, he knows all too well, how much I miss him. It’s…
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Legs in Extension & Family Visits for SCI Recovery | June 15 – 21 2025
6/15 I guess, days like this are bittersweet and very hard. There is so much my body needs, and it’s so hard. It’s so hard, mentally and physically. And I really need to keep moving. Today was a slower day for movement. I really don’t know what to say about that, except I know my…
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Small Repetitive Movements for SCI Rehab | June 8 – 14 2025
6/8 I’m doing this to be kinder for my future self. I’m working these abs to help control what extends out from underneath them. It’s a slow process, but each morning, I’m feeling my legs leveling up in terms of their power and activation. It may not be much, and it may not always be…
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Doing Hard Things & Family Visits! Subconscious Processes for SCI Recovery | May 18 – 24 2025
5/18 Hard things. Doing hard things. Seems to be a theme going on here. Today’s the day. Today is the day of the accident. I…. am at a loss of words right now. It’s really surreal. I am not sure how to describe my emotions or feelings right now. I’m like, really struggling to put…
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Lake Michigan Lighthouse Project – Take 1 | May 11 – 17 2025
5/11 Wow, another day and another increase in sensation! My legs really needed yesterday! That was a great day of rest! I still incorporated activation into the day, but I really got caught up on some rest!! I realized too, how my hopefulness waxes and wanes as the day moves on. It’s a hard reality,…
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“Maintaining Perspective” to support SCI Rehab | May 4 – 10 2025
5/4 What is it, about reading books? What is it about writing? I feel as though everything that I am learning, I am also able to consolidate in my brain so much better these days with the tool that writing is. Without it, I feel like I would be floundering with all the information floating…
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Quad Sets + Sinus Surgery for fueling SCI Recovery | Apr 13 – 19 2025
4/13 My legs are really showing up more and more each day! I’m really impressed with how they’re doing sit to stands off the hand press, that I have been doing after I’m done going to the bathroom! Holy smokes it’s less and less weight thru my hands! Sometimes it feels like I might sometimes…
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Sit-To-Stands On The Go! Perception From Action to help SCI Recovery | Mar 23 – 29 2025
3/23 Wow! My legs are so engaged today!!! Callie and I were able to have a great start to the morning! I’m pretty glad to have her to work through all the things I have to improve in my body. It’s been a lot to try to tackle on my own, so I’m glad I…
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Dreaming of the Sledge – Diaphragmatic Breathing & Pelvic Floor Strengthening for SCI Recovery | Mar 9 – 15 2025
3/9 If I can do kegels while holding in a number 2, will this help me eventually be able to learn to voluntarily relax the external a. Sphincter muscles? Seems weird and a funny area, but if I can feel myself doing that, and I slowly build up the ability to contract them, that should…
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Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Progress Amidst Winter’s Arrival | Dec 15- Dec 21 2024:
12/15 So, I woke up to the most extraordinary feeling through my right leg and inner thigh! He’s feeling so full! And even my ankles and feet, have such a significant cooler and “smooth” feeling as well? I mean goodness, even into my glutes, everything feels like it’s filling back out! I wonder how I…
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It Takes A Village – SCI Recovery With Community | Oct 20 – Oct 26 2024
10/20 You know how when you want to wake up, and try to lay in the bed for a bit, and just talk to your significant other? Yeah, nope. I shouldn’t have done that. I ended up with too full of a bladder, and piss all over my pants and bed. My nether-regions have been…
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Legs More Like Legs – Progress in Lower Body Function for SCI | Oct 13 – Oct 19 2024
10/13 My legs are feeling fuller and fuller everyday. My right hip and groin area is really filling out, as are my thighs, my left hip, knees, outer legs, shins, calves, ankles! My heels really have been joining in this morning cascade of feelings, and the tingling is really only in what seems like part…
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Drink Your Electrolytes & Family Visits – Supporting SCI Recovery | Sept 29 – Oct 5 2024
9/29 Okay. This has been an interesting and wonderful week! My body is experiencing some drastic changes, and I’m feeling it. My low back right now is working through some extreme amounts of tightness, and it’s been amazing being able to actually feel that! My hips are unlocking, and my legs are really activating! My…
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Aug 18th – Aug 24th 2024: “Backwards Crawl”
8/18 Okay, so I’m waking up, and feeling my left shoulder doesn’t quite like being laid on so much. I think it’s partially because I haven’t been to the gym very much last week! Need to step it back up! My left leg is making some rather huge movements these days, while I’m laying on…
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Aug 11th – Aug 17th 2024: “Quantity Over Quality, Practice Makes Perfect”
8/11 Okay, so I’m not really sure why I was so tired today, but boy was I. Goodness I’m glad to have a nice recovery day!! I’m brushing my teeth standing up in the standing frame, and it’s interesting because I haven’t brushed my teeth and spit in a cup in what feels like forever.…
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June 30th – July 6th 2024: “4-A-Day’s”
6/30 Okay maybe I get to the gym and do some “pull ups” with a spotter on the smith machine? Like, get the legs on the ground, and just work on pulling up and letting my legs be on the ground? Doing some research into what infants do between the crawling and the walking stage.…
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June 23rd – June 29th 2024: “Apple Pie, salads, Knouldering, and Chess. What do they all have in common?”
6/23 I feel like the amount of nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals is pretty okay for my diet. I think I need to try to incorporate some more essential fatty acids, as they are essential for maintaining and improving glial, myelin sheath, and neuronal health. At least that what’s my research is showing! It’s…
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May 12th – May 18th 2024: “Try and Fail, but Always Try!”
5/13 So, everytime I go to the gym after a longer break, I start to feel such different feelings from day to day. My lower back lately has been feeling so much! I can really feel him contracting! 5/14 It’s hard. Having to get up and try to do something, and then go at it…
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April 7th – April 13th 2024: Look Ma, No Hands!
4/7 Welp, that was a morning for the books! I really haven’t felt that good in a very long time. I’m really fortunate. Also, the feeling of having to go to the bathroom is getting to be just the feeling of the movement, and isn’t a bunch of pain! We made it to Culver’s and…
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Mar 31st – Apr 6th 2024: I Got Some Walkin’ to Do!
3/31 Easter! Wow! Had to get up and get ready to go to church with mom and dad! We had a pretty alright time, really. It was an interesting time because I had to take a break and do my business in a public facility.. but public bathrooms are usually pretty good, and this was…
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Mar 24th – Mar 30th 2024: Gettin’ Ready to Rumble!
3/24 Wow, I had a wild day today!! Some exciting things happened today!! 3/25 Waking up is a tricky one sometimes. I usually wake up with this definite feeling of having “to go”. It isn’t like I have to try to get that feeling to go away, but it can be such a drag to…
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February 11th -17th: Pain, Sex, Conversations, and Verizon
Feb 12th Had a day of working on the blog, and tight legs… Feb 13th So, it’s cool to know how much I woke up feeling this morning! The sensations were out of this world! Except, I must say, I had an extremely high amount of tightness…. Took a huge nap 😴 Did a chit…
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Nov 26th – Dec 2nd 2023: First Week on My Own!
Nov 26th Definitely had some Mexican food!! Making chicken and dumplings tomorrow!! Nov 27th Wow, today I had both the new physical therapy and PM&R doctors appointments Nov 28th Woke up this morning feeling great! I got on my tum this morning and started to do some prone exercises! The are gonna be important for…
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Getting Weight Bearing for SCI Rehabilitation | Aug 27 – Sep 2 2023
Tall kneeling – new books – new ideas – my pup I miss so much. Simple joys in life help make it all worth living.
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More Tossing & Turning – Therapy for SCI Recovery | Aug 6 – 12 2023
Getting in the swing of PT & trying to figure it all out
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“We did it” Moving Forward from SCI Injury for Recovery | July 30 – Aug 5 2023
Better connections for Stim Pads? Getting outside? Try to do that more!
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Back In Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation | July 23 – 29 2023
First week back in Michigan and started at The Recovery Project! What a great name for what I’m working on!
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The Astronaut on Earth 