re: Happy B'Day

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/22/2006 10:11:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

andreah1166@... writes:

>

> Happy Birthday Hollis! I hope you enjoy it!!!

>

> in NY

>

Thanks, . I'm turning off my computer right NOW.

It's a beautiful day out there and it's time to get going!

Hollis

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/22/2006 11:04:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

smann writes:

>

> Helen:

>

> That is very sad about your being so ill for so long. How are you doing

> now?

>

>

>

,

That was me, Hollis, not Helen.

Compared to where i was five years ago, i'm doing wonderfully -- living

independently, working very part-time from home for a unversity department,

doing political action work, and able to do most of those things that all

of us take for granted when we can do them. . . like talk, listen to music,

watch movies, hold a pen to write and draw, feed myself, cook and bake,

use my eyeballs to see the world, read (which i missed SO much) etc. etc.

Seriously, when came back into the world after all those years, it was truly

like being reborn. I had a LOT of catching up to do. Before my descent

into that awful existence, i was a VERY active person.

I do still use a wheelchair and an electric scooter, which i love, since it

allows me to bop around town and even do things like go on rails-to-trails

paths in beautiful places with my boyfriend. Next month we're planning

a trip to Lloyd 's Falling Water house at what i hope will be

the height of the autumn colors.

There are many limits to what i can do (i'm no longer able to do choral

singing or play the violin, two things i used to love) and how much i can

tolerate in the way of sound, which can often be very frustrating -- and

i have regular set-backs with my muscle/exercise tolerance and ears

-- but compared to where i was, life is VERY good.

Hollis

P.S. Even at my absolutely worst, unable to do much of anything except

hurt and be taken care of, i did find ways to keep my mind active and

hold off going totally crazy (which i think i would have, given a few more

months. . .). I wrote a series of sonnets in my head over a period of

several years that were eventually published. Definitely a case of art

being born out of pain. I honestly don't think it ever would have happened

if i hadn't been so isolated and cut off from the world. So, that's one good

thing that came out of the whole thing. More importantly, though,

it gave me a chance to really appreciate what's important in life. . . .