BrooklynRider

[BrooklynRider]

That was great. Being a gay man, I have been to a Shirley Bassey concert. Or is that, being a waaaaay gay man?

[Fabrizio]

Sometimes you just gotta wallow in it. The next time you're really sick, put on some Shirley Bassey at her hysterical, nervous-breakdown best. It's as comforting as chicken soup. When visitors come in to check up on you, turn up the volume:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDUhk...elated&search=



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[BrooklynRider]

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my being hit by a hit & run driver. It has been an incredible year and, if anyone had told me I was going to go through what I did, I'd have told them, "Impossible!"

I still have no idea of exactly what happened to me. I still do not know where exactly it happened. I kind of dropped those pursuits in favor of healing.

I went through have no use of my arms and unable to walk, to severe depression and subsequent hospitalization in the looney bin for a week to "stabilize me," followed immediately by hospitalization for kidney stones requiring surgery, followed by suregery to put a plate in my shoulder, followed by rehab.

Through it all I had great support around me, including an incredible network of volunteers who came to my home to feed me and give me medicine so my partner could return to work. I also had great support from many, many members of the Wired New York community. Wow! It was a great embrace.

Since my recovery I have landed at a new job working for a major International architecture firm doing work I love. I will celebrate six years in a great relationship with someone I love dearly. I have reordered my priorities in life. I no longer obsess over "losing weight" having lost nearly thirty pounds following the accident. I have been selling off lots of material things that just don't hold the same value I once placed on them. I never stopped my volunteer work throughout my whole ordeal.

I learned that, when life is great, life is GREAT. In those periods, there is no great need or rush to change one's life. In chaos, our lives are reordered and huge shifts in consciousness, values, and perspective can occur. The best way to get over pain, turmoil, and challenges of life is to simply go through it. A person who experiences these things in any measure will without exception come through it a more compassionate person. No wonder the Chinese character for Chaos and Opportunity are the same.

This is a moment for me to acknowledge the past year and acknowledge that the universe took very could care of me. It seems I only needed to state my intention and it all moved with me.

I thank everyone at WNY for moving with me too.

Peace-

Rob

[Radiohead]

You've been through a lot in the past year, BR. Glad you're doing better. I'm a rehab therapist, so I know how hard you must have worked to get back to using your arms, as well as the overcoming the emotional toll. Looks like you made it (wait, wasn't that a Barry Manilow song... ).