Hi, my name is MeadowLark!

MeadowLark
MeadowLark Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
in Start here and say hello!

I am looking forward to being with others who have shared similar experiences and perspectives as I have. I do know anyone personally who is handicapped or became so after being more able. I used to do many things I can no longer since I sustained a spinal injury. It has now been six years and I push myself to do what I can. I walk very short distances with difficulty and use a wheelchair for any activity. Learning to walk the small amount I can now is a huge victory, since I do not feel or know where my feet are. The greatest challenge is my continual battle with all aspects of processing food. Chronic pain is the next greatest challenge. Yet I still feel so lucky! It’s amazing that I am alive to experience all that I can. All in all I feel very grateful !! I hope to be a positive contributor on this site.

Comments

  • luvpink
    luvpink Community Member Posts: 5,219 Championing

    @MeadowLark

    Hi and a very warm welcome to the community.

  • Bluebell21
    Bluebell21 Community Member Posts: 4,870 Championing
    edited May 29

    Good morning @MeadowLark welcome to the Community from me too. I hope you enjoy your time on the forum. Any questions just ask.

    Thank you for telling us something about yourself.

    Have a look around and join in when you are ready.

    Take care.

  • Mary_Scope
    Mary_Scope Posts: 5,215 Scope Online Community Children and Family Specialists

    Hi @MeadowLark and a warm welcome to the community from me!

    Thank you for telling us a little bit about yourself. Do you have any hobbies or interests? What do you like to do for fun?

    Lovely to have you here and i look forward to seeing you around the community😊

  • MeadowLark
    MeadowLark Community Member Posts: 6 Listener

    Thank you for the friendly welcome!

    I have so many interests now.

    I still work but it’s sedentary so it’s good. I have begun to write poetry which I never did before! Recently I am hand sewing baby dolls for young family members and returning to knitting. I also study French and Spanish every day now, which I never thought I had time for in the past.

    These are changes from the outdoor gardening and walking I used to do for leisure. I find I am much more observant and appreciative of little things I may not have noticed before. It’s all very good.


    I hope everyone is doing well. I know each person in this community has different challenges and interests. I would love to hear about them.

    Meadowlark

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 4,221 Online Community Team

    Hi @MeadowLark and welcome to the community. It sounds like you keep yourself busy! What made you start writing poetry? It's something I'd like to do but just don't seem to have the time. I have a son currently doing his GCSEs and a toddler so things are a bit hectic here 😅

    We have a post where members share things that they make if you'd be willing to share the baby dolls that you make? I bet the children feel so special getting their own unique doll. Kaleidoscope

    Being appreciative of the little things sounds like a wonderful way to stay positive. Do you practice mindfulness? One bit of mindfulness that I try to do is noticing each step that goes into making a cup of tea. The sounds, the heat, the changing colour of the water etc. It's a lovely 5 minutes of peacefulness.

  • SmellyBin
    SmellyBin Community Member Posts: 593 Empowering

    Yay for knitting, @MeadowLark! You can share all your crafty objects in the Kaleidoscope thread. Nice to meet you here.

  • MeadowLark
    MeadowLark Community Member Posts: 6 Listener

    Rachel, the time when your child is a toddler is so busy !!! I call that stage of life all accelerator and no brakes!!!! It’s a lot when you’re in it and then, as you already know, it’s hard to believe it’s over! I like your meditation… it is simple, but very mindful !!

    I started writing poetry when I woke up paralyzed from the waste down, as a way to process what I was going through. I was in intensive care the week of March 20, 2020 and everyone else in ICU was there due to COVID. I released myself and went home to isolation. So poetry was my outlet. I was amazed that poems poured out of me. Thank you for asking !!!


    Smellybin, I love knitting too!! It is very relaxing, to me it is meditative!!

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 4,221 Online Community Team

    That's a fantastic way to describe the toddler stage @MeadowLark! What an incredible way to process your emotions after such a traumatic time. Knowing that you're able to walk short distances now shows how strong a person you are. Please feel free to share your poems with us. We always encourage creativity 😊

    How do you study French and Spanish? I've used Duolingo in the past but then it became too much pressure and I wasn't enjoying it.

  • MeadowLark
    MeadowLark Community Member Posts: 6 Listener

    Thanks Rachel!

    What brought you to join this community ? You certainly have busy days with your work cut out for you each day!! Do you find time to put yourself on your ‘to-do’ list?

    I agree that Duolingo can be a lot of pressure ! It seems to be designed that way. I have finished all of the lessons on Duolingo for French & Spanish and I can say, even if you come with already having an introduction to these language you’re learning, you cannot become fluent on Duolingo.


    Duolingo’s advantage is that it has a gaming set up & encourages social networking, which is engaging. It is also great for expanding your vocabulary in the language. I will let my paid subscription lapse this summer. I did subscribe to Babble for unlimited lessons and it is much more organized and instructive. I also started the free version of Airlearn and I get five free lessons per day. I love Airlearn ! I highly recommend it for a beginner.

    I tried to start learning German on Duolingo and I bailed. For me, It was too confusing an introduction to a this brand new language.

    I love learning languages. To me, it’s a window into a different culture and it’s a personal challenge. I feel like I have achieved some fluency in French. Spanish is closely related and surprisingly, knowing French has made it more difficult to master Spanish. So it’s a personal challenge for me. I get bored and being more sedentary messes with my head and mood, so I set up new goals to cope, I think.

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