Writing By Laura

If you spend any amount of time on social media (especially in 2020/2021) you may have seen the meme “How it started vs. How it’s going.” Since I am still feeling out of it (my TBI is acting up), I didn’t really feel like writing a traditional blog. So instead I have decided to do my own version of this meme. It’s to make me laugh. To make you laugh and just have some silly fun with photos and graphic design.

Before I get into the silliness I wanted to share with you some background of this meme. Basically you’re showing the passage of time in a funny way. And since 2020 and 2021 have been not the best of years it’s easy to start off with a prim and proper image and then show the dumpster fire of a year we’re having. This New York Times article explains it well and Know Your Meme does as well. And Bored Panda did a feature showing more uplifting versions.

Now that you’re read up on the meme, let me unleash the fun! Hold onto your wigs and keys (a radio show I used to listen to [before my TBI and hearing loss] always said that and it made me giggle)!

New Blog Feature: #TBIthursday Mini Essay: How is it REALLY?

This blog post with all my examples (even though silly) of how good it used to be versus now may give you the wrong idea of my current mental state. I really am doing just fine. I just really like to be silly and funny and often self-deprecating. I suppose this could be alarming to those who don’t understand or are familiar with my silly sense of humor. Trust me, it’s a good sign that I am displaying this part of my personality. A few days before I officially came out of my coma some co-workers were visiting me at the hospital. I motioned for one of them (an art director I had worked with for years and had a jokey relationship with) to come closer to me and then I flipped him off! Classy, I know. I wasn’t the swearing and flipping the bird type person before but I did it occasionally for comedic effect. And when word spread among my friends, family, and co-workers, that I had jokingly “flipped the bird” (Does that phrase translate cultures? Because in the United States it means raising your middle finger to someone as a visual version of swearing), they were hopeful that it was a sign of me coming out of my coma. And they were right. It was a sign I was on my way back to consciousness because I came out of my coma a few days later! I will say that 5 years later I still feel like I am “coming out of my coma” because each week or month or year I am discovering something new about my post-TBI self. However, one thing that has always been consistent for me (no matter the state of injury or recovery) is that I am very connected to my sense of humor. I love being silly and funny and connecting with people in that way. As long as I’m making jokes, I’m just fine!

Monthly Feature of the Week: Pop Culture: Meme Education

Since this post is all about a pop culture/internet term, I thought I would do a quick refresher on what a meme is for my readers who didn’t grow up with internet/computer and the culture and terminology that comes with it (aka my parents 😆). A meme, like “how it started” vs. “how it’s going,” is a thought (usually funny) that spreads from person to person via the internet. See below for a definition of meme.

“A meme is a concept or behavior that spreads from person to person. Examples of memes include beliefs, fashions, stories, and phrases. In previous generations, memes typically spread within local cultures or social groups. However, now that the Internet has created a global community, memes can span countries and cultures across the world. Memes that are propogated online are called “Internet memes.” –Definition from techterms.com

I recommend that you Google “How it started vs. How it’s going” meme and you will find some good ones (I recommend clicking the image tab to Google Image Search). You will find some good ones, including a nurse who used a nice professional picture for the “How it started” and a selfie of her in scrubs with marks on her face from the COVID-19 mask for the “How it’s going.”

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