I have mentioned how incredible Amy has been throughout my brain-injury recovery as well as being so well supported by both of our families and friends. Seriously though, one of the consequences of my brain injury was impaired planning functions, where I would lose foresight/forethought.
This is genuinely not an excuse - I am not trying to shirk my daily responsibilities around our flat.
I struggle to see a situation, then analyse/asses it, and work out what needs remedying.
This may be a good opportunity to remind you of the everyday sand traps brain-injury survivors - like myself - struggle with.
I have mentioned the pitfalls I have experienced with trying to make small talk in social situations.
Therefore, I wanted to highlight another everyday area I have problems with. You may remember my New Years' resolution is to do something either for the first time ever, or for the first time since my brain injury. Today I am going to write about my courage in April. It is a more open one this month but a really important achievement. I made more effort to use my own initiative.
An everyday example of this is simply doing the washing up. This may sound like a mundane activity to anybody else, but I gain a lot out of it - showing you how determined I am to wring the positives out of every situation I can. Not only does it give my lifeless left limb a good water workout, but it is also a way I can contribute to Amy and mine's everyday home life.
She works incredibly hard in a tough primary school, therefore I have tried my best to step up and take some of the burden off of her by doing things without being prompted. This is another good example of my quest to "regain normality" in my life, as I feel I have lost so much of it.
I suppose the main new thing I have done this month is getting up at 6 o’clock!!! For those who know me well they will realise how big an achievement this is! And actually I have really enjoyed it as it is a lovely way to start the day by spending extra time with my wonderful fiancée before the rigours of her working day begin.
I have mentioned we are getting married in October, so I'm constantly looking for ways I can convince her to actually show up on the day. Only joking. Having been elbowed in the ribs to wake up early in the morning, I then proceed to make my amazing fiancée her first of - what I am sure will be many - cups of tea of the day.
This is an important lesson I have learned from my future father-in-law - Amy's dad - who is always the first to offer to make people a cup of tea. As small achievement this month but hey, small but still a good step. Maybe one day I will be a morning person!