Adaptation

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How does a person walk away from a situation that has deeply impacted their life?

Again, my father comes to mind. He could not "walk away" when he became a quadriplegic.

What did he do?

He adapted.

Through serendipitous events, Mom and Dad were given a van that was altered so a lift could fit in the van and Dad could be transported. The van was a cargo-type van and not plush at all, but it served the purpose well for the thirteen years of his life without limb mobility.

Dad was a WWII vet, so he was able to utilize his veteran benefits for medical care. We were able to get equipment for the home - his wheelchair, his lift, his hospital bed, a stand-aid, and probably a few other mechanisms that I can't recall at the moment.

Dad could not walk away. He adapted. We adapted.

So what about situations, other than when one literally cannot walk away?

It's not walking away that necessarily needs to be done when a person has been harmed and once the harm is addressed or given voice or put on its way to healing. But rather adaptation - to take that situation and experience, and to adjust. That doesn't mean to "deny" or "alter" the facts and experience. Nor does it mean one has to accept a certain lot without endeavoring to allow change for the better.

I think of adjusting the driver's seat in a car. One has to do that in order to drive properly.

The seat is there; it simply is.

I, the driver, decide the position of the seat for the function for which I am going to use the seat. Sometimes I drive. Sometimes I take a break from driving and lean the seat back. Sometimes I sit with the door open and my legs hang off the side of the seat as I talk with someone or write a quick note.

Us humans adapt all the time. We don't have to walk away, though that may be one way to adapt.

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