Ok. I take it back. That’s not actually true. I won’t go as far as saying the BEST thing that’s ever happened to me- in all honesty, it sucked. A lot. And it continues to suck. However, my injury did change me into the person I am today, and led me down many paths that I would not have previously discovered without it.

I messed my head up. I was a competitive swimmer for 11 years, up until my junior year. Sophomore year, I started diving too, so I divided my time between the two. Junior year, the fourth day of school, I screwed up a 1 ½ forward somersault. Instead of flipping and then diving into the pool, I didn’t get my hands up in time, so I ended up smashing my head into the water. Water turns to a solid when you hit it the wrong way, so the force against it left me with severe whiplash and a life changing concussion.

That concussion gave me short term memory loss (some friends compared me to Dory), delayed thinking and comprehension, noise sensitivity, and really bad headaches. Fortunately, my thinking is much better, although I still have trouble concentrating, my memory has greatly improved, although I still have issues with it, and I’m much more tolerant to loud noises. However, problems still remain, along with bad headaches, seeing colors around bright lights, and a fun thing called post concussion syndrome. That leaves me prone to more concussions. Senior year my friend bumped my head and boom, another concussion.

Now, my point in telling you about my sensitive head isn’t about sharing my problems with the world or trying to get some pity. I’m not about that, at all actually. In fact, that’s the exact opposite of what I’ve set out to do. My point, instead, is to let you know that when things don’t go your way, you find a new way.

In school, I developed a new system because my old habits no longer worked. Studying that I used to devote a half hour to now takes hours. I evolved my studying tricks to reading outloud specific material over and over and over again until it would remain in my mind and not flit on away as other information did. My highlighter became my best friend, as it was easier to remember what jumped out on the page. My whiteboard came with me wherever I went to study, as math equations would be engraved into my mind by doing questions repeatedly instead of just merely looking at a formula.

Because I could no longer swim or dive, running hurt my head, and I had to be careful of getting hit during contact sports, I followed another calling- theater. Because of my fall sport, I had never been able to participate in my high school’s fall play. My senior year, I had a role in Love/Sick, a dramatic comedy with a lot of emotion and passion (which I’m all about). I also immersed myself in photography, capturing the moments that would normally disappear with time. I built a paddleboard, practicing for my project I did my senior year- building a sailboat. This was only possible though by getting rejected from the spring musical, which I had been a part of every other year of high school. After my concussion, even speaking too loud hurt my head, so my voice was locked away for months, and was only just beginning to be rediscovered when auditions rolled around.

So many amazing things happened that would not have had I not gotten my injury. I would not have met the people, tried new activities, and gained the experience I did without it.

My point is, when something bad happens, it can feel like your whole world will fall apart. However, I’m a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason,” and if you don’t yet have one, it’s your job to go find it. It’s there. I promise.

Change is good. In fact, I think it’s beautiful. As I like to say, beautiful things come from the unknown. You don’t need to know what’s going on. You don’t need to be in control all the time. That’s okay. What is important to me though, is that you’re able to make the most out of whatever this wonderful world decides to throw at you. Sometimes, life will toss you some experience that’s easy to catch and hold on to, and sometimes, life may chuck a curve ball at your head. But you know what, keep swinging. Don’t stop. You may strike out, but you’re bound to hit it at some point.

This life is too amazing to pout and feel bad for yourself. Take a deep breath, assess the situation, and give it your all. After getting through my bad concussion and continuing to live with post concussion syndrome, I feel like I can take on the world. Actually, I can take on the world. I say, “give me all you got,” because you know what, there’s always sunshine, even if it’s hiding behind the clouds.

So, enjoy every wonderful, weird, crazy moment. Afterall, life’s too bright to dull it.

Keep on keeping,

Emma