“We need to work it out”

Anchor

I walked into the kitchen, and all I could say to my mother was, “We need to work it out.”

She asked, “Are you okay?”

Wall

I had a feeling something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I thought the power went out, so I went outside to check.

The power was on across the street.

I checked the breaker and wondered if it needed a reset.

The power wasn’t the problem.

A friend was there, and she said, “I think you’re having a stroke.”

I was.

December 1, 2023, 7:30 in the morning, I had a stroke

Snap

That’s when everything changed.

I wasn’t physically impacted.

What was really frustrating was aphasia.

If you’re not familiar with it, aphasia affects your ability to speak and handle language.

I couldn’t remember my passwords. I couldn’t type. I couldn’t remember my phone number. I couldn’t speak.

It was scary. A podcaster who couldn’t speak. Like being a mime.

But it wasn’t the first time I’d had to recover from a hard circumstance.

Nextstep

It took me a while to grasp what was in front of me. But I had no choice. I was bound and determined to use the skills I’d built over the years to help me, and to change my life.

I used speech-to-text because spelling and remembering words were a challenge.

The first thing I had to do was learn to talk again, learn to communicate, and learn to rely on others.

My family and friends were so generous with my challenges. I can’t thank them enough.

You don’t know what challenges other people are carrying. Kindness is cool, and smiles are free.

I’m blessed to be able to use technology to recover, rest, restore my life, and love my life.

Now I’m working on the most ambitious project

I’ve got: using all my skills to help more people through Nextstepnext and the YourBrand Network, for the folks around me and the people I’ve yet to meet.

I’m still working to inspire others to move forward.

Be blessed, be well, and be in touch.
Russ

P.S. The four questions I used to find this story are becoming a simple tool to help you tell yours. I’m looking for five people to try it first. Reply “story” if you’re in.