Most of us think we have a plan, a way to move forward, but as they say, sh** happens. Maybe it's the universe telling us to slow down, take a break (no pun intended).
In 2020 I fell headfirst down a flight of stairs, broke four or five bones in my left leg, and shattered my foot. The doctor would not do surgery as it was a the beginning of Covid. By day four in the hospital they were wearing hazmat gear! I was sure I would die, especially when sent to a rehab center for 90 days, with no visitors allowed.
Suddenly something clicked: I had no control, so all I could do was "one day at a time." and try to manage my emotional distress. I started writing haiku with appreciation of the small wonders happening outside my window.
All my devices at home: tv, phone, optimum, car, etc. went unpaid, so I had tons of bills when I got out. It was a disaster. I now I have pain and difficulty walking, and sports are history, but I'm still here.
I've spent the last five years contemplating Mother Nature. I"m grateful for all good things that come my way....a phone call from a friend, books, poetry, Subtack, and more.
This meant more than you know. Thank you for sharing it with me. Sometimes I think stories like yours—told plainly, with all their pain and grace—are what keep the rest of us upright. I’m moved by your strength, and your haiku practice reminded me: even in stillness, there’s a kind of forward motion. Wishing you ease, real connection, and more quiet wonders out that window.
What a beautiful response.....thank you for your words of encouragement and support. This will be on my grateful list tonight.
So many times people just click like when I've written responses here on Substact... which is somewhat meaningless in the scheme of things.
I'm curious to know more about you. Are you a professional writer? By that I mean are you published and paid? If not, you must be. You have a gift, you're a natural born writer. Your thoughts and ideas need to be shared with the world.
Injured, yet you create this! In awe, as always, but this makes me feel beautifully small in an expansive world. This - "Maybe a life isn't something you architect. Maybe it's something you collage--cut from old hopes, glued together with quiet resilience, held in place by invisible threads of luck and longing," is all of us. We're right here, together. 💛
Thank you for reading with so much care. Your words stayed with me. I don’t know what I’m building most days, but knowing someone’s out there listening, it makes it less lonely.
Wishing you a swift recovery. I finished a book called Phosphorescence last night around midnight and had a big cry. It might be a welcome light at this time. Take care
What a beautiful piece of writing!! I didn’t know what to expect, but then I received so much!! My life has been a series of “wrong turns” and “detours”! This helped look at all that a little differently.
I’m so glad it found you at the right moment. Life does feel like a maze of detours sometimes—unplanned, inconvenient, and strangely meaningful in hindsight. Thank you for reading with such an open heart. I hope those wrong turns lead you somewhere unexpectedly good.
Thank you so, so much. Just the fact that you wanted to support means more than I can say. Please don’t worry about it at all. Your words, your time, your being here — they already mean the world to me. Truly.
Damn. Wrestling w/this atm. Recently divorced, moved, isolated, etc. The 'world' tells me none of that is good...keep moving, like a shark, lest you succumb to 'depression' and all the rest. Thats all not wrong, exactly...but its not right, either. So, wrestling, I guess.
You mentioned the the quiet life is an act of freedom...thats intriguing.
Thank you for sharing this—wrestling is a good word for it. Not quite sinking, not quite swimming. Just trying to stay human while the world keeps shouting “keep going.” I don’t have answers either, but I do think stillness can be its own kind of resistance. Choosing quiet when everything tells you to perform—maybe that’s a kind of freedom we’re still learning to believe in. I’m rooting for you, in the quiet and beyond. 💛
This was really relatable for me...I went from someone who was busy 24/7 couldnt sit still for a minute...to someome with serious health and mobility issues...I honestly wanted to end myself...it was depressing...some days still suck!!
But I just wanted to say this is a great peice!! I think you learned something you can take with you moving forward!! And it shows in your writing!! Im really sorry for your recent accident!! Its awful to go through that!! I hope you will be recovered soon!!
Thanks for writing this!! It highlights important things!!
I’m really moved by what you shared—thank you for trusting me (and us) with that. The shift from constant movement to forced stillness can feel like losing part of yourself. I know that ache. And I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through it. I’m honored the piece resonated with you, even in the hard places. Wishing you softness on the rough days, and quiet strength for whatever’s next. We’re still here—and that counts for something. 💛
Awwww your so welcome!! Thank you so much for writing this peice!! It really felt wonderful that you shared your experiences, like you were giving a voice to everyone who has been through something similar!! 💓 I think its truly the greatest thing we can do for one another!! Sharing our experiences make it all count for something!! Im so sorry you have had to go through so much so young!! Its not easy but your doing something amazing here!!
In some ways I might be lucky in this context. I don’t know what to call it, but my brain is allergic to strategy and plans. I’ve never been good at it, so I’ve instead had to learn to trust all the little moments, the swerves this way, the jogs that way, and know they’re taking me somewhere, but where is only for the future to tell me. There is a kind of freedom in this.
Love your reflections. They always feel like home to me.
Well done. You are bringing an intimate connection from writer to reader and that moves me to want to contribute and applaud your effort to express your heart. Carry on🙏
Hope you recover fast. I am just living life one moment to another, I have anxiety and i get panic attacks if I think too much so in order to not get a heart attack I just leave it up to universe to make decisions for me. I don't mind the destination if the journey is sweet enough, life is too short for restrict yourself to a plan or maybe I am just lazy.
Most of us think we have a plan, a way to move forward, but as they say, sh** happens. Maybe it's the universe telling us to slow down, take a break (no pun intended).
In 2020 I fell headfirst down a flight of stairs, broke four or five bones in my left leg, and shattered my foot. The doctor would not do surgery as it was a the beginning of Covid. By day four in the hospital they were wearing hazmat gear! I was sure I would die, especially when sent to a rehab center for 90 days, with no visitors allowed.
Suddenly something clicked: I had no control, so all I could do was "one day at a time." and try to manage my emotional distress. I started writing haiku with appreciation of the small wonders happening outside my window.
All my devices at home: tv, phone, optimum, car, etc. went unpaid, so I had tons of bills when I got out. It was a disaster. I now I have pain and difficulty walking, and sports are history, but I'm still here.
I've spent the last five years contemplating Mother Nature. I"m grateful for all good things that come my way....a phone call from a friend, books, poetry, Subtack, and more.
This meant more than you know. Thank you for sharing it with me. Sometimes I think stories like yours—told plainly, with all their pain and grace—are what keep the rest of us upright. I’m moved by your strength, and your haiku practice reminded me: even in stillness, there’s a kind of forward motion. Wishing you ease, real connection, and more quiet wonders out that window.
What a beautiful response.....thank you for your words of encouragement and support. This will be on my grateful list tonight.
So many times people just click like when I've written responses here on Substact... which is somewhat meaningless in the scheme of things.
I'm curious to know more about you. Are you a professional writer? By that I mean are you published and paid? If not, you must be. You have a gift, you're a natural born writer. Your thoughts and ideas need to be shared with the world.
Injured, yet you create this! In awe, as always, but this makes me feel beautifully small in an expansive world. This - "Maybe a life isn't something you architect. Maybe it's something you collage--cut from old hopes, glued together with quiet resilience, held in place by invisible threads of luck and longing," is all of us. We're right here, together. 💛
Thank you for reading with so much care. Your words stayed with me. I don’t know what I’m building most days, but knowing someone’s out there listening, it makes it less lonely.
Wishing you a swift recovery. I finished a book called Phosphorescence last night around midnight and had a big cry. It might be a welcome light at this time. Take care
Thank you for seeing that, and for being here. Irrelevance might just be a kind of liberation we rarely talk about.
Now. No plan. There is tremendous freedom in irrelevance. Solid write, as always.
What a beautiful piece of writing!! I didn’t know what to expect, but then I received so much!! My life has been a series of “wrong turns” and “detours”! This helped look at all that a little differently.
I’m so glad it found you at the right moment. Life does feel like a maze of detours sometimes—unplanned, inconvenient, and strangely meaningful in hindsight. Thank you for reading with such an open heart. I hope those wrong turns lead you somewhere unexpectedly good.
sorry, your donation option didn't work with me being outside of where ever.....like New Zealand zip codes and ph prefixes. I so wanted to.
Thank you so, so much. Just the fact that you wanted to support means more than I can say. Please don’t worry about it at all. Your words, your time, your being here — they already mean the world to me. Truly.
Damn. Wrestling w/this atm. Recently divorced, moved, isolated, etc. The 'world' tells me none of that is good...keep moving, like a shark, lest you succumb to 'depression' and all the rest. Thats all not wrong, exactly...but its not right, either. So, wrestling, I guess.
You mentioned the the quiet life is an act of freedom...thats intriguing.
Thank you for sharing this—wrestling is a good word for it. Not quite sinking, not quite swimming. Just trying to stay human while the world keeps shouting “keep going.” I don’t have answers either, but I do think stillness can be its own kind of resistance. Choosing quiet when everything tells you to perform—maybe that’s a kind of freedom we’re still learning to believe in. I’m rooting for you, in the quiet and beyond. 💛
This was really relatable for me...I went from someone who was busy 24/7 couldnt sit still for a minute...to someome with serious health and mobility issues...I honestly wanted to end myself...it was depressing...some days still suck!!
But I just wanted to say this is a great peice!! I think you learned something you can take with you moving forward!! And it shows in your writing!! Im really sorry for your recent accident!! Its awful to go through that!! I hope you will be recovered soon!!
Thanks for writing this!! It highlights important things!!
I’m really moved by what you shared—thank you for trusting me (and us) with that. The shift from constant movement to forced stillness can feel like losing part of yourself. I know that ache. And I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through it. I’m honored the piece resonated with you, even in the hard places. Wishing you softness on the rough days, and quiet strength for whatever’s next. We’re still here—and that counts for something. 💛
Awwww your so welcome!! Thank you so much for writing this peice!! It really felt wonderful that you shared your experiences, like you were giving a voice to everyone who has been through something similar!! 💓 I think its truly the greatest thing we can do for one another!! Sharing our experiences make it all count for something!! Im so sorry you have had to go through so much so young!! Its not easy but your doing something amazing here!!
In some ways I might be lucky in this context. I don’t know what to call it, but my brain is allergic to strategy and plans. I’ve never been good at it, so I’ve instead had to learn to trust all the little moments, the swerves this way, the jogs that way, and know they’re taking me somewhere, but where is only for the future to tell me. There is a kind of freedom in this.
Love your reflections. They always feel like home to me.
Well done. You are bringing an intimate connection from writer to reader and that moves me to want to contribute and applaud your effort to express your heart. Carry on🙏
Hope you recover fast. I am just living life one moment to another, I have anxiety and i get panic attacks if I think too much so in order to not get a heart attack I just leave it up to universe to make decisions for me. I don't mind the destination if the journey is sweet enough, life is too short for restrict yourself to a plan or maybe I am just lazy.