A Picture (or Five) of Summer

I launched robjquinn.com because I needed a change. I needed a better platform than a blog site to promote my novel, The Birth of Super Crip, and what I hope will be future work.

I also decided that I needed to change my blogging technique, in part from talking to and reading the blog of my friend Rebecca at 1000 miles. More “social media” (i.e. pictures), less “article writing.” (Give her a read! She’s a great writer.)

Speaking of change, this summer brought plenty of it. I was living on my own about five days a week. It’s the most I’ve been alone, possibly ever. (I had my own apartment years ago, but I was working full-time so I wasn’t home as much.) Around the same time, a good friend I spent a lot of time with moved to warmer weather. It was tough at times, and there’s no grand ending to this post describing how I headed out on my own for a better life.

But I gained some independence. I got a little stronger mentally. I pushed myself to get out more. I took an invitation to dinner that I would have typically passed up. I extended a few of my own invitations to do things.

I also did some other things:

Not bad for one of the first selfies I ever took,
eh? A perfect sky in the background with a nice
tree to boot. This was one of my first trips
down—around the end of June.

I got back to cycling by the Schuylkill River (along with a trip to Exton). It was great to reconnect a bit with a few friends and do some extended rides. The 10 ½ mile loop seemed shorter when I was getting down there every week . . . and I was younger! . . . but it felt good to get out there a handful of times this summer.

My other favorite activity—shooting baskets.
Working on the regulation rim here. It’s been
a while since I made a shot on the 10-foot
hoop, but it’s fun playing.

The accompanying picture is a little dated—taken about a year-and-a-half ago—but I did get back to shooting hoops once a week after backing off due to elbow pain. Practice might not make perfect, but it sure helps! I need some work, but I still love shootin’.

Learning new skills all the time. My
first successful application of a band aid.

Being on my own more often meant handling things I’m not great at doing independently, including applying a band aid to a small cut that just wouldn’t stop bleeding. It might look ugly, but it worked! And independence is never bad. Some of the simplest things to do for most people are the hardest for me. Knowing how “simple” something like putting on a band aid is supposed to be often causes some serious frustration, especially when I really need to do something like, for instance, stop a cut from bleeding! So, this felt like a small triumph, especially when I managed to keep the band aid dry in the shower and it stayed on for a few days.

My reward for stopping at a red light! The
woman behind me tried to keep going. My right
fender, shown above, took a hit, but luckily the
ramp still worked. I was happy to still make it to
the Schuylkill Trail for some cycling that August
morning.

A minor fender-bender rattled my nerves more than anything. Having to use my speech with strangers in a stressful situation is never fun, and it can make me feel exhausted physically and mentally. So many things race through my mind. In this case, besides speaking clearly enough to be understood, I was concerned that there would be assumptions made about my driving ability based on my cerebral palsy. I thought the fact that I couldn’t get out of my van—because I was rear-ended and I use a rear-entry ramp to get in and out—might cause confusion. There were other concerns—I needed to get all the necessary information from the other driver, explain what happened to a police officer, and figure out what to do if my ramp didn’t work. Plus, I was on my way to cycle—so I didn’t even have my wheelchair with me, just my recumbent bike. But I got through it . . . with a little help from mom on the phone. I even stayed relaxed enough to still go cycling. (At least the accident wasn’t my fault!)

A rough draft of a…short story?…novella?…
sitting on my desk. I’m not sure what it is yet,
but working on the first draft of anything is
still the fun part of writing! I hope you all get to
read it someday.

Although I haven’t been blogging, I have been writing. This summer I got into a writing groove that I haven’t experienced in quite a while. I loved it. When I’m writing on a regular basis, it really helps fill my day. I find that if I get up and write first thing in the morning—even before breakfast—I’m at my best. Then I can hit the gym, stretch, and watch sports (mostly) and TV or read (not enough) at night, feeling like I did something productive. If I’m really going strong, I’ll write some more at night. With my most recent effort, I just plowed ahead with a story that I started on June 1st. The only time I looked back on what I had written was to add things to the story that made the ending work a little better. Otherwise, no editing, no evaluating, no hesitating. I eventually gave myself a deadline to finish by Labor Day. It was a great motivator, and I’m happy to say I made it!

There were successes and failures along the way. Overall, I think it was a good experience.

What’s next? I have a couple writing projects in mind, I’m always adjusting my exercise routine to stay motivated, and, of course, I’ll be working to make this site as engaging as possible. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section or by e-mail, and we can make this a real conservation. Don’t forget to subscribe to get an e-mail whenever I have new material, and one way or the other I’ll keep readers “posted.”