"It takes twice as long to rebuild bridges you have burned." Music has always been a big thing in my life. Some people just listen and enjoy the beats without actually paying attention to the words said. That is exactly why Macklemore said "and we dancing to a song about a face gone numb" (Drug Dealer – Macklemore). Where he is speaking about how popular Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd had become. Although some may know what the Weeknd means, others do not – they are singing it because they like the beat and words, but the story the words tell have a much darker meaning than the beat they are attached to. Tyler Childers has some wisdom though and that wisdom, like other artists, is pushed out to people all over the world - the ones who are really listening to the words. In his song Nose to The Grindstone, Tyler paints a picture of the wise words his father has told him. “Keep in mind that a man's just as good as his word. It takes twice as long to build bridges you've burnt & there's hurt you can cause time alone cannot heal. Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills”. I think we can all appreciate these words and the meaning behind his song. I think we all have wise words we have heard from someone and they resonate when we need them the most. “Well Daddy, I've been tryin', I just can't catch a break. There's too much in this world that I can't seem to shake but, I remember your words, Lord, they bring me the chills. Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills.”

In January of 2022, I was in a head on collision with another vehicle. I had to be cut out of the car and then cut out of the steering wheel, where my hips were lodged. They said my feet were facing the opposite way. When they got me out of the car, I had a pneumothorax - better known as a collapsed lung - which meant they had to stick a large needle into the second intercostal space at the midclavicular line (between the 2nd & 3rd rib, middle of the clavicle) to relieve the pressure and allow my lung to reinflate. After, I was transported to the hospital, I went through three surgeries. Two of those surgeries were on my hips and the other on my face. The doctors called it Acetabular Fractures in my hips. This meant I would have to learn how to walk again. When you are trying to learn how to walk again, commitment and persistence are the most important. You need to make sure you are fully committed to everything that has to be done - because it is not a small feat. You also have to be persistent. You have to continue with the repetition of the exercises. You have to continue to push through the pain. It helps to have a motivating physical therapist & family while doing so, which I do. I have come so far with my commitment and persistence, I can now walk with a walker, only two months after going to full weight bearing status and exactly five months since the accident. Although I have a long road ahead of me to be able to function again, independently - I will continue pushing through the pain!