tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post3508216056761417079..comments2024-03-23T15:17:15.865-04:00Comments on calvin's story: day forty-sevenChristy Shakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00106761191160700997noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-21243232473596469442021-04-28T16:59:29.864-04:002021-04-28T16:59:29.864-04:00dear Federica, are you still out there reading? th...dear Federica, are you still out there reading? thinking of you. xoxo, christy<br />Christy Shakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00106761191160700997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-12496572596745308852012-05-29T20:35:15.513-04:002012-05-29T20:35:15.513-04:00dear elsa,
just getting around to replying. thank ...dear elsa,<br />just getting around to replying. thank you so much for writing this. what a great thing to hear your daughter say. it made my day.<br />xo, christyChristy Shakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00106761191160700997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-61295693379350779482012-05-21T10:06:47.112-04:002012-05-21T10:06:47.112-04:00Hey Christy, I was thrilled to see Calvin at the B...Hey Christy, I was thrilled to see Calvin at the Botanical Gardens! He did seem tired, but I must tell you of a few moments of his happiness. Sadie (who ADORES Calvin) sat with him to take some photos and say hello. He was snuggling up with her, chewing on her hair, smelling her neck, and clearly enjoying it! She did too. As we walked away, she said, "I love the way you can always tell when Calvin is happy. He's the goofiest guy in my class, thats why he's the only boy I like." Im so sorry his happy day ended with a seizure, sucky.Elsa Levynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-14554903649016545222012-05-20T20:50:11.160-04:002012-05-20T20:50:11.160-04:00Christy, Idon't know what to say. we send our...Christy, Idon't know what to say. we send our love and light a candle for our sweet friend Calvin. KIMKIMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02181944106601467170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-89619549090114744302012-05-20T14:19:53.639-04:002012-05-20T14:19:53.639-04:00dear julianna,
thank you again for your insights. ...dear julianna,<br />thank you again for your insights. funny, i had just decided to give up the count. i try to control so many things and i think i end up making myself crazy with this counting thing. i want to be more free. i know it will make a difference.<br />xo,<br />christyChristy Shakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00106761191160700997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-43179405994428411422012-05-20T13:37:37.279-04:002012-05-20T13:37:37.279-04:00I'm SOO sorry to hear about the seizure. That ...I'm SOO sorry to hear about the seizure. That is so hard and I am sending positive energy in your direction. I wanted to pass on a realization that made my last few years with epilepsy so much more manageable. Early in high school I had countdowns everywhere--in my mind, on my computer. The categories in my ical calendar were "homework/school, life, and seizures" and that was indicative of the way I thought about epilepsy--it was something separate from the rest of my life that had to be quantified and then fought. Before this year, I never made it past 15 on my seizure count, so the fight was a little bit futile. (In that specific way--the fight against epilepsy is never futile! Ahh!) During my junior year of high school I took a class on Buddhist Meditation at Smith and was blessed with the entrance of an incredibly articulate professor and a supportive Zen priestess into my life. I had seizure after seizure in their class, which became a little metaphoric because their perspective was integral in how I came to view my epilepsy from a new vantage point. That year, when I began pouring through Buddhist sutras I came across a speech that the Buddha had given when he was very sick. Someone asked him how he dealt with his sickness and he responded, somewhat enigmatically, "Sun-faced Buddha, moon-faced Buddha." I think that he was suggesting that he accepted the sickness because the sickness was part of him, who he respected. I started thinking about moving into a place of acknowledging a greater integration of my seizures into my being. So the first thing I did to that end was delete my "epilepsy log" from my computer (I would write in a journal if I felt I noticed any kind of correlation with triggers) and I stopped counting the days between my seizures because every time I had another one I felt that I had lost some unsaid battle and grieved that I had to start over from ground zero. It took less energy to think about my seizures as part of who I was. Like the Buddha, I loved who I was and so I tried not to hate this part of my self. And then after 18 years of calendars, I have finally gained seizure freedom. I think there is some significance to the idea that it was when I finally came to a greater level of acceptance I can begin to count again. I know so well the grief of seizures breaking through again and I'm sorry that you are going through that now. Take care of yourself and drink lots of tea :)<br />~JuliannaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-31241325562009691002012-05-19T16:51:35.432-04:002012-05-19T16:51:35.432-04:00thank you federica. i always love to know you are ...thank you federica. i always love to know you are out there for me. xoChristy Shakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00106761191160700997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895440453335552117.post-58822321013866342072012-05-19T13:00:31.691-04:002012-05-19T13:00:31.691-04:00Dear Christy,
I'm sorry to hear about Calvin&#...Dear Christy,<br />I'm sorry to hear about Calvin's seizure. Hope he's feeling better today and hoping it will be a seizure free Saturday.<br />ciao<br />FedericaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com