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Ro Paxman
It's OK to Ask for Help
A few weeks ago, as I was sitting in my family room watching television, I heard my cell phone ringing in my office. My instincts took over and I barreled down the hall in a mad rush to answer it. The dog gate was between me and the phone. I leaped over the gate like a sprinter on the way to the finish line. Unfortunately, the bottom of my shoe caught on the gate and I flew across the tiled floor like a jet taking off on its way to a foreign land.
I landed face down, sprawled across the tile floor. I had used my right hand to try and catch myself. When I got up, I discovered that I had banged up my shins, my back and my right wrist. I thought my wrist was just sprained, so I put some ice on it.
After a couple of weeks, my back started to feel better and the scratches on my shins began to go away. My wrist got worse and the top of my hand started to hurt. It was hard to open doors and accomplish things that required strength.
I went to the doctor and found out that I needed to wear a brace on my wrist for at least three weeks. I couldn't even use my thumb.
Have you ever tried to operate without the thumb on your dominant hand? It's hard! Most of your strength is in your thumb. It's hard to open things, brush my teeth and do other ordinary things. Forget about putting makeup on! I just can't do it. I had to have my daughter do my hair and makeup so that I could go to church.
I quickly found out how hard it is to type without the use of your thumbs. I decided to try and get my computer to take dictation. I also asked my team for help.
I set up the voice-recognition software that comes with Vista. It is not accurate and, after wasting a lot of time, I decided I had to find a better solution. I researched what other people use and discovered Dragon Naturally Speaking 10. I bought the preferred version.
After receiving it, I spent the day setting it up. I had it look at all of my documents to discover my writing patterns and then spent a while training it to understand the special words I use. I then started to dictate by answering all of the email piled up in my inbox.
As I worked, I discovered that there are two hard parts in learning how to use Dragon well:
- It takes effort to teach Dragon how to hear what I'm saying. I discovered that I often mumble. When there are problems with the dictation results, I'm usually the cause. I haven't spoken clearly enough. This is especially true at the end of sentences because my voice tends to fade away.
- I have to learn the commands for dictating with Dragon. It takes a lot of practice because it's not natural to say punctuation marks out loud as you speak. It's not natural to give correction commands. The typing part of the process is fast because Dragon types as fast as you speak. The thinking part is not so fast. I'm not used to thinking this way, but the more I do it the better I get at it.
It occurs to me that building a relationship with Heavenly Father is somewhat the same as building a relationship with this software. I have to become skilled at listening to Him. I have to learn to recognize His voice. I have to learn how to approach Him.
It goes better for me when I remember to talk to Him often. It helps if I remember to speak up and ask for His help regularly. It helps when I'm clear about what I need and how I feel. It doesn't help to hide the truth of my feelings. It makes my situation worse.
If I don't take time to talk to Him - if I fade away - then communication breaks down. It's not His fault that this happens; it's mine. He doesn't have to change - I do. Fortunately, He is always there whenever I'm ready to talk to Him again. He always loves me, no matter what.
When I need to repent on something I have done wrong, I have to mean it. It won't help me if I merely say, "I'm sorry" and then I don't change. I must try to do better.
The great thing about talking to Heavenly Father on a regular basis and repenting as soon as I discover that I've messed up is that it gets easier and easier to do. I get closer and closer to Him and I feel better able to ask for help whenever I need it. When I get help, I know I'm loved.
It won't be long before the brace on my wrist will be gone from my life and I'll be able to live life as I did before. I'll be able to type again. I'll be able to open bottles of peaches by myself again. I'll be able to put my eye shadow on each morning.
But, I hope some things are different. I hope that I can remember what I'm learning through this experience. I hope I can remember that it's good to stop and think about what I'm saying. I hope I can remember to stop and think about what I'm doing. I hope I can remember to take time to correct my mistakes as soon as I've realized them.
And, I hope that I'll remember that it's okay to ask for help when I need it.
Talk to you soon,
Ro
Muse: To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation. Not intended to solve the world's problems, another person's problems, or to cover topics completely. One does not have to agree with musings to enjoy them, just as one does not have to be the same as someone else to appreciate who they are.
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