Editor’s Note: For those who might be new to this blog, and/or just forgot, “Steve” refers to a stroke that occurred to me.

Today was my second strokaversary. I decided to mark the occasion with a hike in the same place I visited a week before Steve. I went there last year too, so I suppose this is a new tradition!

It turns out that hiking is a good time to ponder, so I pondered how my life has changed due to Steve. I have made a lot of progress since Steve, but there are lingering effects. I still experience double vision, but this doesn’t interfere with my driving or at work. Speaking of work, I have returned to work 100% this year, which was challenging to say the least!

I teach high school social studies and have three preps. For the non-teachers this means I teach three subjects, ninth grade world, geography, 11th grade, US history, and 11th – 12th grade, social and cultural anthropology (IB). this year I taught to world geography, to US history, and one anthro. I have one preparation. Each day to do everything I have to do in order to teach these classes.

I hadn’t taught for a year and a half since Steve (I taught one class spring semester last year). My students were great. I’ve always been honest with my students so I had told them about Steve. I let them know that I had some trouble with word finding and that I got tired easily; among other things. One day, I was stumbling with the words I had in my head getting out of my mouth, and one of my students said, “ slow down Mr. Woodward.” I had told them that slowing down helped with the speech.

Other than Speech, which got better throughout the year, Steve causes me to transpose my B’s , P’s and D’s. Also, Steve has wreaked havoc!

Pondering the year, I suppose a few misspelled words is not so bad!

What?

Oh.

Yeah.

I still do not have the full sensation in all my fingers on my dominant hand.

So what?

I thought 124 high school students this year!

Fuck you Steve!