Patina Malinalli - What Can I Do Now That I Have a Traumatic Brain Injury?

What Can I Do Now That I Have aTraumatic Brain Injury?

By Patina Malinalli

All Scripture quotations are takenfrom the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), 1999, 2000,2002, 2003,2009 by Harvard Bible Publishers, Nashville,TN.

Allverses accessed from www.biblegateway.com .

WHAT CAN I DO NOWTHAT I HAVE A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?

Copyright 2021 by PatinaMalinalli

Published by Books byMalinalli

West Lafayette, IN 47906

https://www.booksbymalinalli.com

Congratulations! You survived a traumatic brain injury andhave been able to return home. You may have already discovered thechallenge. Now that yousucceeded in returning home, you may feel like you are rarely ableto leave.

There are various ways in which you may have lost yourindependence. Someone needs to take you to the store, to work, tochurch, to visit family or anytime you cannot walk. You may not be able to get everywhereyou need to go on foot and you are less conscious than before aboutwatching for hazards (like traffic). You may also be less aware ofdangerous situations in general, or you may have become hyperawareand feel somewhat insecure leaving home even just to go for awalk .

First, let me assure you I understand. I incurred atraumatic brain injury in 2005 and suffered some circumstancessimilar to what you are going through now. However, you don t have to be or feelincapacitated. You do have options. Another effect of a traumaticbrain injury is that time slows down. It is easier not to feel rushed. Whetherit sworking from home, or finding hobbies to start enjoying yourselfagain, your life can still be fulfilling. Let me show youhow.

Bloom (or Work) Where You rePlanted

Oneway to move forward is to find a job that permits you to workremotely. Many sales,education, and office jobs offer this option. Working from homemight be a possibility depending on where you are located and ifwork schedules are appropriate for you . You might also thinkabout your hobbies consider what you can pursue at home. Thesemight include:

• cooking

• sewing

• yarn crafts

• exercise

• horseback riding

• gardening

• reading

• writing

• anything else you love to do thatcan offer a service or product to someone else

Youmay even be able to become an entrepreneur start your own at-homebusiness by pursuing something in which you are skilled and beginmarketing that product or service . Many people with disabilities, including myself, have done it. Success is not alwaysimmediate, but if you keep going, you can do it!

Ifthis is something you re interested in, I believeGod sgrace is a huge factor in helping us become independent andproductive. However, it is only possible to truly be fulfilledthrough belief in Jesus Christ. He can make you feel complete no matter what you have toendure. I have seen God bless brain injury survivors with the ability to continue withcertain tasks after others may have been either temporarilyhampered or permanently discontinued. God created us and gave us the talents and abilitieswe have. He can also bring new ones or help us maintain old onesafter our injury.

Ihave personally found Jesus words in Matthew5:3-12, particularly encouraging:

The poor in spiritare blessed,

for the kingdom of heaven istheirs.

Those who mourn areblessed,

for they will becomforted.

The gentle are blessed,

for they will inherit theearth.

Those who hunger and thirst forrighteousness are blessed,

for they will befilled.

The merciful areblessed,

for they will be shownmercy.

The pure in heart areblessed,

for they will see God.

The peacemakers areblessed,

for they will be called sons ofGod.

Those who are persecuted forrighteousness are blessed,

for the kingdom of heaven istheirs.

You are blessedwhen they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because ofMe. Be glad and rejoice,because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets whowere before you.

Youand I are blessed when weendure times of hardship. There are some activities we can takepart in that will help us both mentally and physically duringrecovery . I have come to discover through personal experiencethat the most importantsupport you can have is believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. He promises He will be with those whobelieve in His sacrifice forthem on the cross as they facehardship and difficulties in life.

The Joy of Cooking andBaking

Haveyou noticed that cooking and baking are an art? Many top chefs andbakers have attended culinary schools. That doesn t mean you have to do that in order to succeed not if you re really good at it. If you have talent working thestovetop or excel at baking pastries you could try selling themfrom home, but you could also record your own cooking recipes stepby step and post the videos on YouTube. It does takededication you will need a lot of views but if you can stickwith it and develop your skill and ability to market it, this is away you can earn some extra money.

Taking Up or ContinuingSewing

Sewing is another art, one that can be perfected with muchpractice. If you have a sewing machine, you should be able to videoyourself (on a video camera or smartphone) stitching some samplesfor YouTube clips and/or to sell online or donate to your favoritecharity. I have done this and ended up selling a set of placemats.A coworker saw pictures of my crocheting project and ordered andpurchased my hand-made placemats for a Christmas gift. I have had abit less success selling my sewing projects, but some people arequite successful with this. Making sets can be easy I have donethis with masks for family friends who chose to open theirrestaurant during COVID. I cut fabric and paired (wrong side out[1]) two pieces with a pair of elastic pieces for each of thetwenty or so masks I made. Then, I sewed the two pieces wrong side out, inserting theelastic for the earpieces, and so on. You may have seen these instructions from yourself when wewere in Stage 1 of the COVID pandemic. Unless you are very talentedand have a ready market, sewing and yarn crafts are kind of touchand go as far as successful selling is concerned. Yet, even successful ventures startwith just one personal sale at a time.

Ihave taken some ideas about selling my crafts when I can fromth e book of Ruth in the Bible. Ruth was a widow with nochildren who [1] The rightside of a piece of fabric is the brighter side which will beviewable when the mask is finished, the wrong side generally dullerand will be something no one sees when the mask is complete. was livingwith her mother-in-law, Naomi, at a time when unmarried women hadvery little or no financial provision. They had been living in acountry called Moab (which was located in what we know today as thecountry of Jordan). Accordingto Jewish law, Ruth could marry a relative known as a kinsmanredeemer (Boaz, in this case). She is one of only five women mentioned in Jesussgenealogy in the first chapter of Matthew (the first book in theNew Testament which discusses the history of Christianity as afaith). This genealogychronicles 41 men. Onlyunique and special women were named here, because typically,genealogies from this time period list only men.

Now, I am by no meansin the same situation as Ruth (I still have my family, forexample). Yet, there are some things I can do to be supportive andI like to help. According to Ruth 2:2, Ruth theMoabitess asked Naomi, Will you let me gointo the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone who allowsme to? Naomi answered her, Go ahead, mydaughter. In the same way, there are things we can do at home to helpour families financially. Producing some items at home can be lessexpensive than purchasing them especially when some things can bea bit more difficult to find or a little pricier than usual. It canalso add a bit of convenience no need to leavehome.