I think about it all the time. The 3 weeks I spent in the neuro- rehabilitation unit. The people I met, the conversations, their stories... I am thankful everyday for that time. I was trying to put my finger on why it was so meaningful to me. To articulate how special it was. Best I can put together is that it was this collection of people who felt broken and helpless in our own ways, but together we formed this close knit group of strangers of all ages, who supported, helped, cared and looked out for one another. It was a unique and profoundly life changing experience for me.
One of the other patients happened to be my grade 11 social studies teacher. Another was a man about my age who had been in a car accident at work and was now a paraplegic. A young woman who was thrown from a horse. A grandmother who was originally from Afghanistan. A woman who knew one of my close friends. We became this group of people who ate together, supported each other after therapy sessions, could recognize when others needed help and freely offered it. A sort of family.
Music therapy was once a week and was the highlight of most peoples week. We all trucked down to the physiotherapy room to sing together. For me that was a special moment because I had worked with the music therapist before at the preschool where I worked. So here was this amazing person who I knew from my real life, touching my life in a very special way. I cried each session, overcome by this normal activity of singing, in such an abnormal situation. This connection, something that for me was an everyday activity working in preschool, singing in a group, to being in this group of strangers become family was something special that I can't quite put my finger on.
But the best guess I have to why this whole experience was so life changing and sticks with me so much is vulnerability. Nobody held anything back in this place. We had conversations over supper that we extremely open and personal. We talked about life and death. We talked about how grateful we were to be alive and together. We cried when we faced our challenges. We spoke about what we were afraid of going home. Nobody held back. Nobody filtered. It was honesty and compassion. It was connection and understanding. In our hardest times we supported each other, listened with love and empathy. It was a truly unique and amazing place.
So how can we recreate this? Where can we open up and be vulnerable in our day to day lives? Where can you challenge yourself to be compassionate to a stranger? Where can you make the connection with someone you might not otherwise connect to. How can we live this everyday? Because I will never forget those strangers become family. Which considering at the time I couldn't find my way downstairs to therapy by myself, is a pretty big deal.
Yoga is about connection. Rehab taught me that more than anything.
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