“I received an unimaginable gift as a result of my accident.” - Susan Edgmon
Unimaginable
“I was in a horrible traffic accident,” Susan Edgmon began.
“The immediate result was an unimaginable, life-altering brain injury.”
For a performance-oriented entrepreneur, Susan’s new, brain injury reality was devastating. Her entire life and her imagined future vanished instantly. Or, so she believed.
“My recovery team focused on getting me healthy and moving forward. They worked patiently, asking me to set new goals. I didn’t want to! But, I finally surrendered and told them my goal was to learn drive again,” She said with a grin.
Susan was in psychotherapy twice a week for two years. Her recovery was not a brisk
stride of process.
“My condition, after the accident, forced me to sit a lot. For the first time, I watched oak tree leaves sprout and open, over days,” Susan said with a pleased smile. “I was a workaholic before the accident. I had never experienced life or the world at such a pace.”
Susan’s mother hoped to encourage a more engaging pace of life, so she called and asked her to take a water color painting class.
“I said no! I don’t paint,” Susan said laughingly.
Her mother responded by saying, “I paid $60 for the class, so you’re going to go!”
“The first day of class we painted only brown! The second day we painted a sunset,” Susan said in a mocking tone. “The teacher asked me how long I’d been painting. I told him, this was my second painting. He said, no, really! How long have you been painting?”
From that point on, Susan continued painting, learning and exploring varied art forms. She entered a local art competition and as a result, a gallery owner approached her about having a show in her gallery.
“I soon
found that as a creative entrepreneur, you need to do a lot of different things just to survive financially. It’s not easy,” Susan said of her life as an artist.
“I’ve always remembered what my friend and mentor, Sam Walton once said to me.”
“Find a need and fill it,” Sam advised her.
Susan has focused on Sam’s advice faithfully. She has found an unimagined need, within herself, and has filled it beautifully by sharing her artistic gift with others.
“My art is the gift of my accident. I have received it, so I need to share it! It isn’t something I’m supposed to keep to myself. I must share it,” She explained.
I asked Susan, “What advice do you offer others who are still seeking their own gifts?”
She responded quickly by saying, “I would say, believe! You don’t have to be perfect. Just do the best you can and that’s enough. Your self-worth is not tied up with how you perform. Always ask yourself, what did I learn, even if you fail. Because you learn, whether you fail or succeed. Be patient and keep trying. Keep trying different things. Keep learning. And, seek your
joy.”
Imagine the unimaginable for yourself.
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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV in Northwest Arkansas. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as a real estate agent and Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and
mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.
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