Scene 30 - Commitment

**********Scene 30 — Commitment*********

Sarah has made a commitment,
to getting better.

One day, I will write again,
One day, I will read,
One day, I will walk.

It just might take a little bit of time first,
that’s all.

****************Commentary**************

Sarah has made the decision to keep living.

After brain injury, the choices a survivor can make are limited — we often find our lives dictated by a new set of abilities and/or a rehabilitation schedule — therefore, it is important and empowering to recognize when and where we do have choices, and accepting to continue the process of living is a decision we can make.  We must recognize that we’ve taken a hard hit by life, but that doesn’t mean we need to give up — that we will continue “getting better”.  This does not mean we will return to a former state, but recognize our new abilities and discover how we can best employ these skills.  This takes us on the journey of becoming a better person — of “getting better”.

Sarah has made this decision and is committed to keeping it.

Her injury has made many new difficulties — tasks that she used to find easy — writing, reading, walking to name a few — are now challenging or impossible to complete without assistance, yet she has made a commitment to improving these skills.  Please recognize that commitment isn’t about completing, it is about applying oneself and being dedicated to the process of improving.  Making a commitment to be at a meeting means that you will show up and try to contribute — if you make a commitment to a sports team it means you will use your athletic skills and work with your teammates to do your best — making a commitment of marriage means you will join with your partner and work together to improve yourselves both as individuals and as a couple.  Sarah has made a commitment to “getting better” — there is no endpoint for this, but she has dedicated herself to showing up so that she can continue to improve her skills.

Finally, Sarah recognizes this is not a short term commitment.  Even regaining the skills she mentions in the above scene, can take a very long time.  For every human — starting from birth — it takes at least 3 - 6 years before we have even a rudimentary grasp on all the skills Sarah mentions — yet we go through the long, arduous process of learning these skills because they are required as part of having an independent existence.  Most people do not remember the process of learning to walk — the function of our brain for long term memory is not fully developed — but if you look at any toddler, the determination cemented on his or her face is a clear indication of the difficulty.  Furthermore,  there is the confounding process of early reading or writing — the process of translating symbols — lines on a page — into sounds that represent ideas — this is an astoundingly complex process.   With her injury, Sarah needs to go through the process of relearning these skills, and maybe it will take her another 3 - 6 years — or maybe less time — or it may take longer, but it doesn’t matter because Sarah has time — after all, she is alive.