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Times certainly feel more than a bit uncertain these days. But living with a brain injury changes things in ways I never envisioned.

“There is an inherent value to lessons learned by living them.”

Brain injury survivor David Grant reflects on the fifteen years since his accident — and what he’s learned since his life changed.

Like so many other brain injury survivors, I appear to be okay. And while many know of my past history, many others think I am well beyond my brain injury challenges and struggles. Why wouldn’t they? 

They say that hindsight is always 20-20…that we understand the ramifications of our behavior only from the perspective of looking back on that behavior.

In the military, risk and danger are part of the obstacles to overcome; many veterans, however, see the world as an unsafe place that they need to protect against once they leave the military.

I want to clear my mind and enjoy life, but I cannot relax; everything matters, and people die when mistakes are made

These are difficult times. Life is challenging enough for the fully-abled, but add a traumatic brain injury to the mix, and things can get downright overwhelming.

My brain injury journey has come with many unexpected twists and turns, making it an experience that is truly stranger than fiction. Many of the changes that came to pass after my brain injury were incredibly painful and life-changing. But not all the changes were difficult. Some were – dare I say – simply wonderful.

For close to nine years, I’ve been working on navigating life as a brain injury survivor. Thankfully, as time passes, my life as a brain injury survivor has gotten easier. Like any human being with a heartbeat, though, I have other health issues. These are health issues that need my attention and constant care. It is at the intersection of brain injury and some of my other health concerns where things can get very dicey.

We've all got it, that inner voice that constantly narrates our lives. It is simply part of being human. But as many of us know, brain injury can complicate things. Gone can be the ability to know intuitively when and how to handle things. Without warning, our inner narrator takes on a new power.

None of these challenges is blatant to the naked eye, but spend a bit of time with me, and you’ll learn soon enough that I’m not as normal as I look. Such is the nature of being invisibly disabled.

Being defined by your brain injury is different from sharing with a loved one what needs to be shared about the symptoms, says Brainline blogger David Grant.