Author: Tony Trott

Sometimes we have to look at the big picture. If, for no other reason, than because the smaller picture really isn’t too pleasant. I am sure that many people, regardless of ability, have figured this out already. But sometimes we need a swift kick in the butt to make us realize it and stop focusing on the little things that, kind of, suck.

Let me explain what my recent swift kick was. I won’t go into details about how this happened other than to say my legs buckled and I sat down very, very hard on a not-so-soft surface and that left me with the major bruise on my posterior. Now for people who walk, this might be a hassle, but probably not a huge deal; but for me, a full-tine wheelchair user who can stand for only a few minutes as long as he’s holding on to something, sitting down is necessary and refraining from sitting is not an option.

There was not anything medical that needed to be done, maybe apply a bit of heat or take an ibuprofen if the pain was really acting up, until it heals in maybe a week or two. It doesn’t sound too bad, but what I found to be amazing was that having any pain at all, no matter where it is, truly makes it very difficult to focus on anything whether big or small.

Therein lies the problem for me, and probably many others. Having something else to focus on is one of the best ways I know to deal with pain (physical or emotional). I had to figure out something I could focus on to take my mind off the pain. Fortunately, I soon came to find out that if I was doing something I enjoyed I was able to focus for periods of time (although, shorter periods of time than usual).

What I decided to spend my time on was learning! Learning new computer skills, learning about different ways to cook (or how to best use a new gadget), leaning a new language. Those are activities that apply to me, but you will, of course, have your own and, hopefully, at least one item on your list is productive so you don’t feel like you’re just sitting around twiddling your thumbs. This is how I ensure that I don’t lose sight of the big picture — just by finding a different smaller picture to focus on.