Sorry, no pictures this time, but I’ve got another theme that I can use to put together my list of gratitudes today.
- Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota. When I was job hunting last spring, I felt inspired to look into volunteering for some kind of epilepsy-based organization. Maybe I’d get a job out of it, maybe I wouldn’t, but trust me on the sunscreen. Wait… that’s not right… Maybe yes, maybe no, but I wanted to try and volunteer. After all, it’s something that’s been close to my heart for a long time. And my head. Definitely close to my head.
- Tammy Sammon. When I looked at their website, I could choose up to three groups to potentially volunteer for, one of which was the creative arts program. Tammy is the coordinator for that group and… well, it took a while to connect. After waiting a while to hear back, I finally got a response. However, she was preparing for Camp Oz, a week-long camp for kids with epilepsy. Next, she was at Camp Oz. After that, she needed to recover from Camp Oz. So it might have been a couple months overall before I was finally able to start volunteering with EFMN.
- Camp Oz. I took two days off from work this summer to volunteer at the camp. I tagged along with a group of 11- and 12-year-olds as they went through their daily activities and even got to participate a few times. I helped gather wood for a fire so they could do some cooking, I offered suggestions as they prepared a skit for the campfire on Thursday night and I even got to do a little archery. I managed to hit the second yellow ring on the target with my second arrow (there are three yellow rings, the smallest of which is the bullseye). So I set a really high standard for myself that I was never able to match. Just ask the arrows that ended up in the ground in front of the target.
- Archery. We had a really small compound bow at home when I was a kid, which is why I knew I should prompt the camp counselor about having the odd-colored feather pointing to the outside instead of the inside (having it rub against the bow when you shoot would send the arrow… I’m not sure what direction it would go, but definitely not straight).
- The EFMN Adult Support Group. It meets once a month and the meeting was tonight. I usually go to provide support as opposed to needing it—I came to terms with having epilepsy many years ago, but being able to tell people about my experiences and making them feel more comfortable is a good feeling for me, too.
- Anti-seizure medications. I want to express a great deal of gratitude for the meds that kept me seizure-free for about 15 years. Sure, it’s unfortunate that I have to refer to them in the past tense, but even with the stuff I’m taking now, the fact that I can function well instead of being stuck having blackouts or major convulsions… I’m definitely grateful that they exist and that I’ve had access to effective ones.
