Ask John

What is your favorite part of the day?

My favorite time of the day is sunset. Watching the sunset is one of the simple pleasures in my life. Seeing the sky painted with beautiful colors creates inside me a feeling of pleasure and inner peace. Negative thoughts and feelings melt away. As I watch the sunset, I feel awe at the beauty and majesty of nature. I also feel a connection to something larger than myself. It is a personal spiritual experience.

Note to readers: If you have questions you want to ask about me, send them to johnrsf@pacbell.net

Ask John

If you could give advice to someone recently paralyzed that used to be very active and thinks life is not worthwhile anymore, what would you say to them? I have a resident at my work in this situation. It is seven months post-accident and they are going through therapy to try to regain some motion of the lower limbs as he has some limited feeling. He does have use of his hands, but is severely depressed.

It is natural to be be depressed at such a drastic change in your life, but if you allow the depression to take over, it will make it difficult to move forward. When this is combined with self-pity, it can make it difficult to see the good in life. You may not be able to do all the things you once did, but you can find new things to do, or new ways of doing things. Once you adapt and adjust, and realize that you are able to do more than you thought, then life will seem much better. Life is not over with a disability.  There will be challenges, and frustrations, but there will be good moments as well. As Dolly Parton said, " If you're feeling low, don't despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

Ask John

What is Your Favorite Song?

My favorite song is "Imagine" by John Lennon. It creates a vision of a positive, hopeful, and peaceful world. This world may not be attainable, but it is nice to contemplate such a world. It encourages us to try to make this world a better place for all. Whenever I hear this song, I am overcome with a peaceful, easy feeling. It is timeless.

"Imagine"

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

Note to readers: If you have any questions that you want me to answer about myself, feel free to leave them on the comments section of this blog, or send them to johnrsf@pacbell.net. 

Ask John

What is the one thing you want most in life?

The one thing I want most in life is the love and companionship of a woman. I lack that special bond that comes from a relationship. Friendships are great, but it is not the same. This has been the missing ingredient in my life for far too long. I may not get what I want, but at least I am still trying. Hope keeps me going.

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