House of Cards

Hi, I’m Michael and I’m a stroke survivor.

Stroke rewires the brain in many ways. We survivors often become more emotional. We might swear more. The things we once enjoyed can change. Fatigue comes quicker. And in our heads, we live with what I call the House of Cards.

The House of Cards

The House of Cards is the mental structure we build to hold our daily lives together.

It’s everything: the to-do list, the way people treat you, the tasks you’re working through. Piece by piece it stacks up, forming something that looks solid. Sometimes there’s even a sense of accomplishment as you tick things off.

But then one small thing—insignificant to anyone else—can topple the whole structure. And as they joked at the end of Spaceballs, “there goes the planet.”

When It All Collapses

A carefully planned day full of activity and important tasks suddenly unravels. Instead of progress, you end up on the couch binge-watching Netflix.

The frustration deepens because you know things need to be done. The undone tasks cascade into delays across the coming week. Yet it’s hard to explain to others why it all fell apart. The final card might have been something as simple as your dog barking at another dog on a walk.

From there, melancholy sets in. You know you need something, but it’s hard to even name what that is.

Searching for Balance

You look for distractions—something to take your mind off what happened. Sometimes it’s sleep, sometimes it’s a small comfort, sometimes it’s just stepping away. Partners and loved ones worry, and while they may not fully understand, their care is still a reminder that you’re not going through it alone.

The Hard Comments

And then there are the moments when someone cheerfully says they’re glad to see you’re “better now.” They mean well, but it can sting. You might want to punch them in the face. Because you know you are not the same as before.

Picking Up Again

The House of Cards will fall. It happens. But here’s the hopeful part: you can rebuild.

Sometimes it takes a rest day. Sometimes it takes a kind word, a small win, or even just the sunrise to remind you that tomorrow is another chance.

I remind myself of the people around me, the goals I still want to achieve, and the purpose I’ve found since my stroke. Life isn’t the same, but it still holds meaning. Each time the House of Cards comes down, I learn a little more about patience, resilience, and gratitude.