Grateful to be alive
I wrote about the injuries and the start of recovery, as well as the near-death experience, in Peeling the Onion. It’s been a slow process, but there is now very little that I can’t do. I’ve worked hard, but I’ve been exceptionally lucky too, with the therapists I’ve found along the way. Don’t ever believe that physical recovery ceases after two years – I’ve improved steadily over twenty.
So, noting the date today, my first reaction was to feel sick. My second was gratitude. I’ve never subscribed to the theory that I need to be grateful for horrendous injuries and years of pain, because of what it ‘taught’ me. But I am very grateful for the life I’ve had around and since those traumas, and for the future that I still have.
Wendy Orr is a Canadian-born Australian writer. Her books for children and adults have been published in 27 countries and won awards around the world. Nim’s Island and Nim at Sea have also become feature films, starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island) and Bindi Irwin (Return to Nim’s Island.) Her latest book is Cuckoo’s Flight, a companion to the highly acclaimed Bronze Age novels Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. Read full bio
Comments
So I love the thought of bookshelves being grateful that I lived and went on writing. I object to people saying the accident was a gift because I got to write Peeling the Onion. I'd have been quite happy to have skipped years of pain and disability and never have written that particular book. But since it happened, I'm glad I wrote it.