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Q : Blogging isn ’ t the only writing you do , is it ? A : I ’ ve always written poetry . My first poem , circa Grade 3 , Rapping Roger Wheelworm , was a Dr . Seuss kind of poem about the life of a worm who was a rapper . I had planned to incorporate poetry into the story of my pressure sore , plus talk about what I had gone through in the beginning stages of being paralyzed . It would have been a big book ! But when the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 happened , I felt the need to push the book forward , to get it out there .
Q : Tell us about the resulting book . A : Due to surgery for a pressure sore , I was confined to a bed 24 hours a day for eight weeks . Add to that the harrowing six months leading up to the surgery , it opened my eyes to this world we have inside . Confined to Align came about because , ironically , being confined to bed allowed me to align my well-being more than I had ever done or ever imagined . I thought that the experience was going to be horrific . Long before the surgery , I got into meditation and read lots of books and was looking to go on a short retreat . Then the pressure sore happened . It was like God said , “ Oh , no , you wanted this . You really want to know what it ' s like , you want to really learn something ?” I got to do it the hard way , got to see the whole picture , find the internal core of life . It had to be difficult on the outside for me to be able to find it on the inside . I knew I needed to document it , write it all down even if I wasn ’ t having a good day . I didn ’ t want to say , this is a horrible situation , but I did it and you can too ! I needed to say that I had a hard time , that there was struggle , there were mental and physical things I had to go through to align my internal well-being .
Q : We were struck by the poem
Summer Umbrella . What ’ s its significance ? A : That was inspired when I returned to the place where my family had the car accident . It ' s in the middle of the desert so it ' s hard to pinpoint the exact spot but to me it was very clear . I got emotional thinking about how far I ’ d come since the accident . I ’ d used an umbrella to take a photo on this trip — it was superhot with no shade , so I used the umbrella to take pictures . Then I realized it was a symbol for inner strength and our connection with God . The poem was also for my father who protects me too .
Q : How often do you travel , and do you always go alone ? A : I travel five to seven times a year . I have traveled in groups , with my boyfriend or with
friends and I loved it , but I also love traveling by myself . I never feel alone . I ’ ll be in the car listening to a book on tape that I ' ve been wanting to listen to for ages but haven ’ t had time . It ’ s wonderful to be able to do my own thing , stop when I want , eat when I want . I don ' t have to keep tabs on everybody . There ' s a lot of freedom and I can cover a lot of ground when I ’ m by myself . A solo driving trip is therapeutic — the quietness of the road , watching the horizon , it ’ s very peaceful .
Q : What advice would you like to share ? A : Get out and see the world . We ' re here on this journey , our spirits are on this plane to experience it . I want people to have the confidence to take on those challenges and be okay with exploring and expanding their own . Also , learn to accept what is technically and physically possible in this time in space .
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