PCS Learner,

I believe the silver lining of PCS is the opportunity to realize that a full life does not mean a hectic and busy life. I believe just the opposite. Too many in our society are living to fast and furious to smell the roses. The ability to sit and observe the world around one is a lost skill. Why should we have to wait until we are old to learn to live life with a slower, more observant pace?

There is also a life definition that is imposed upon us by society. I was a high honors student. I was going to be a dentist specializing in orthodontics. I have the intelligence and manual dexterity to be very successful.

I have met very few dentists who are enjoying their careers. Most see their careers as a means to a good income to afford them other enjoyable activities. They put up with the tedium to get the non-occupational benefits.

Up until my 2001 injury that changed my life, I had been very successful in self-employment owning my own businesses. I preferred the freedom from the constraints of a "career" that many of my friends and contemporaries live with.

If she can take a good inventory of her likes, dislikes, skills, weaknesses, PCS limitations, she can decide what she would prefer her live course to be.

Since moving to Idaho from California in 2000, I have seen a drastic difference between the "driven for achievement" world and the "enjoy living" world. I moved here because I could see how I needed the slower pace of life. I can't imagine trying to live in the hustle and bustle of most metropolitan or growing communities.

My 25 year old daughter has realized this already. She rejects the go for it life and is pursuing a more laid back and adventurous life away from the hustle and bustle. She is a high achiever with great intelligence. She graduated high school at 15.

Your daughter might benefit from reading some bios of people who are living a less stressed life. Some even go "off the grid."

Encourage her to smell the roses and find her comfort level. There is a whole world to be discovered at a slower pace that is completely overlooked at the high speed of most lives.

My best to you both.