…but I already had decided at the beginning of the week that not much was going to stop me from attending the 7th Annual Chicago Run/Walk For Brain Aneurysm Awareness 2022.
While my own personal recovery from being clipped 5 months ago has gone relatively smoothly, so to speak, I still keep a close eye on my physical activities (you can read my story here Music, My Bean and The Medical Math - #9 by Bass2022). This meant skipping a live music event on Saturday to prepare for my journey to Glen Ellyn from where I live, mostly due to the timing of the trains able to get me to the event.
By mid-week, the local newscasters had already put rain into my own equation, so I made sure to scrounge up all of my rain gear from when I used to video local flooding events as simple example of just how much thought I was putting into the decision, let alone commitment. I even made sure the event was within walkable distance from the station closest to the College of DuPage, of which a quick THANK YOU COLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOR HOSTING is appropo!!
By early Saturday evening, I adjusted my bedtime to cope with a 4:00 am wake up and when the alarm went off, not a drop of rain in sight outside of my window, which gave me a little extra “pep” to my waking up process. The “Chicagoland Area” is a large enough swath to have one part see torrential rains while another portion has sunny skies, so I plopped a positive note into my process of getting ready.
I knew I was going to miss the beginning of the event due to a 3 mile walk from the train station combined with the schedule of the first train available, it was in the movement of rain that caused my adventure this past Sunday to remain a mixture of limited certainty and a whole lot of uncertainty throughout my journey to get to the event.
For example, I did not know if the event would be cancelled and while would have understood had there been such a decision, my own overall therapeutic objective was to make sure that I walked in honor of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation and all who are affected by the health issue…and boy oh boy, was the walk to the event such a positive–and despite the rain!
First, it was time to be alone with my thoughts in a community I had never before visited while having an overall objective in front of myself to be achieved. I have always enjoyed walking places, for I enjoy absorbing some of the subtler aspects of a community that can tend to go unnoticed because the car zips them from point A to point B, and the landscaping and structures of the community were quite beautiful to pass by on my way to the college campus.
Next, it was a period of time in which I gave myself the opportunity to trust myself enough to make enough correct decisions to actually get myself to the event, which luckily it was a pretty straight travel. Still, I was not looking forward to learning I had walked in the wrong direction when I chose to visit a local business and it was of significant relief when I learned I was well on my way.
By the time I got to the campus, I knew the greatest of hurdles was in front of me–finding the event check-in area. I had a street address, but it turned out the address was a series of buildings, so I knew I had to be judicial with my decisions on where to walk.
About mid-way down the series of buildings, my heart began getting a little excited as I saw a sign with an arrow for the event. It didn’t tell me if the event was cancelled or was still going on, but those simple arrows gave me hope I would soon find out about the event one way or another.
Eventually, I saw a few people walking by and I chose to ask if they were a part of the walk. When they said they were, it truly was a moment of extreme internal celebration on my part. Despite having a cratiotomy 5 months ago, I made it to the event of my free choice and energy–and you bet, despite the rain.
While there is no diminishing the value of our online activities and conversations, (especially in this forum) from time to time there is an extra special connection that can be made when coming together for a common ground, a common purpose, a common reasoning. That’s a big part of what I selfishly gained with my decision to put aside a weather forecast (and even some sleep) in exchange for sharing a live event with others to celebrate how far we’ve come while reminding ourselves studying brain aneurysms a non-stop journey for ALL involved–from family and friends, to the medical professionals who dedicate their lives to improving outcomes once an aneurysm is discovered, let alone all of us who have experienced the effects of a brain aneurysm on our own individual lives.
So I just want to give a HUGE shout-out to all those who participated in the run/walk this past Sunday, especially those who sponsored the event, coordinated the event and those who worked so hard to make sure the event was something positive for all who attended–along with all those who attended to participate in the walk or run.
Looking forward to next year’s adventure and THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!
