My stroke occurred on December 10, 2021. During the few short hours that my mind was deteriorating, my life was sent down an inevitable pathway that would include emergency medical intervention, brain surgery, and months of therapy addressing physical and emotional health as well as speech and cognitive skills. What was not inevitable in all of this was the unique inner duality that emerged. Buddy (right brain) embraced the realm of peace and tranquility. Sir! (left brain) controlled the management of the brain: order, details, time, and knowing the feeling of being in charge. From wife, family, and close friends the pathway provided any help before any help with love and eternal hope.

The pathway was manicured to engender encouragement as well as to provide a disciplined direction. I am just three years into the process and the keyword in the book is to “try.” I look forward to the next step, not to dwell on the past, but to understand the sacred sauce of “now."

Humor has developed with the discovery of new consciousness, the power, and the density of the “rebirth” of the mind. The choice that is given with each moment, each point in time that could “tickle you in the tummy” can be realized for what it really is: a chance to feel the mind, which is usually tangled up in the sounds of “brain chatter.”

Both hemispheres of the brain has been characterized by Buddy and Sir!, two endearing personalities. Recovery and discovery are the pathway of encouragement to anybody who finds themself in the stroke, and in need of help. Both external professional therapists and one’s own internal discipline are needed to stick to the plan, knowing that they are “two sides of the same piece of paper.”