Sit down next to me

We recently had snow. We rarely have snow in Pembrokeshire so it was so exciting.I could not resist trying to make a snow Angel. I can no longer get up and down off the floor easily but while I still can- (even in my funny way) I will.

About a week before I had my stroke, I was waiting for a train and there was no seats available to sit and wait for the train to come in. It was such an insignificant thing at the time but I sat on the floor by a few teenagers. I remember thinking to myself "at what age is it considered too old to sit on the floor" It was only a passing thought and if I had not found myself with half my body paralysed and unable to walk, sit..do anything I would have thought no more of it. 

As a Mum of a then seven year old I had spent a lot of the past seven years on the floor. My biggest goal was to walk but it was also so important to me to know I could sit on the floor again and of course equally as important that I could get back up again. When I was eventually allowed out of hospital I went to live with my Mum (who looked after me and my daughter- always so grateful to her) and I remember asking her if she would stay with me while I practised getting up and down off the floor. I just needed to know if I could do it. I have learnt to stand from a sitting position without using my arms (it took me a long time even to remember I had a left arm let alone be able to use it again) and have taught myself to do the same from the floor. I do use my arms to get up again now but that is with plenty of practise and my arm has given up on me so many times. It isn't always very well behaved but we are getting there. I might not be able to get up and down with the ease that I used to but it is so much better than laying in a bed thinking I may not get out of it. 

So please if you can, just sit on the floor even if you look a little weird getting back up again...... One day you might not be able to.