A New Year

I arrived early on New Year's day and Sam and I were wearing the same rust colored corduroy shirts. We looked like twins and people thought we looked very cute together. It is the last thing Sam and I would ever have wanted to be called "cute", but somehow, on New Year's Day 2010 in the Northeast Care Center, it was okay. All morning out in the main hallway, there was a DJ spinning albums, with the neighbors playing drums and singing into microphones. The neighbors and family members were all there having a great time... including Sam and I. The DJ knew Sam and so asked her for a request....Sam, was unable on her own to come-up with any names, so the DJ handed me a Queen album and said Sam had been singing along the other day to some of the songs...so she should pick one out. I worked with Sam who deferred to me on this (not a great idea), and so I choose the Champions...knowing it would be a good theme song for us all, but one in which, in retrospect, Sam would never have chosen. Sam would have wanted a grittier more ironic song, but so be it. The audience loved the song and that was what the DJ ended on at noon. Feeling inspired, Sam wanted to go paint, but unfortunately Dahlia and "Inner Art" was no where to be found on New Year's Day or the day after. We did take a long stroll around the facility and entertained ourselves with other activities.

New Year's weekend with Sam was lovely and she was in great spirits, which was in stark contrast to the weekend before at Christmas time. It was just wonderful to see Sam hysterical laughing in Occupational Therapy or with me throughout the day. Sam and I played Wii bowling in the clubhouse for a couple of hours and even though I had to help Sam coordinate the pressing of the buttons, swinging her arm and releasing the button all in one motion, Sam loved it. She did manage it herself a few times, but it was not easy. I also raced Sam in her wheelchair down the hall- I would walk fast and she would wheel herself. Sam won every time. We quite amused ourselves and were also in a rather passionate mood. Some of the neighbors are confused as to my relationship to Sam and continually ask me...am I her mother...her sister? They can't figure out why we are kissing so often and why Sam holds onto me so much. Identity politics for the brain injured community is a fascinating topic I'm sure, but I hate that I am in the middle of it. I can't believe that Sam has needed to be confronted with "coming-out" and all related identity issues here in Northeast Care Center. She had to do it at Park Terrace and now, here again. I too have been confronted with these issues of course, first in the hospital/s then Park Terrace and now here. It is quite frankly speaking a royal pain and added burden.

In occupational therapy, the therapist asked Sam and I to do things together, like weight lifting...I realized very quickly that I am totally out of shape and that Sam has much better upper body strength than I do (this was always the case however). One of the activities was holding a one-pound plastic baseball bat, lifting it up and down to hit a beach ball that Sam was throwing at me. We took turns throwing the beach ball at each other and using the bat....Sam had no trouble, while I on the other hand did. We also kicked a big therapy ball around and other such games. I really enjoyed doing these things with Sam and I know she did too. We ended our weekend by watching National Lampoon's European Vacation with Chevy Chase on the TV in the main lounge area near Sam's room. We both laughed out loud as Chevy Chase's character knocked over Stonehenge with his car. It was a good way to wind-up the weekend and start what I hope will be a healing and peaceful New Year.