Gingerbread party 2024

    I'm really late with this post.

    For about fifteen years I have been hosting a gingerbread holiday party at my house. It started out as about ten people including a few kids and adults decorating homemade gingerbread houses. These homemade houses require nine cups of flour, two cups of molasses and are baked over the course of a full day in stainless steel molds that I have had for over a decade. Over time, the party has grown to about seventy guests, mainly because the kids have more friends and their families are invited as well as my friends and their families. We still bake a few houses in the stainless steel molds, but I admit that I buy the rest pre-assembled. At the party, the kids decorate their houses(I’m pretty sure that as much candy goes on the houses as in their mouths.) For many people who suffer a traumatic brain injury one of the resulting impacts is perseveration. Generally speaking, perseverating manifests as the TBI patient repeatedly focusing on something that a person without a TBI would not. Try as I might to leave things alone that are already addressed, I continue to stress about them and voice that stress repeatedly. The gingerbread party is a good example. I’ve been having the party for fifteen years: I know precisely what needs to be done to prepare, but because the party has enormous personal significance as a tradition for me, my kids, and guests who have attended for many years, it is something I focus on for months to get ready asking those around me if I’ve gotten this or that done. “Do you think we have enough houses? When should we bake the houses?” I don’t ask once. I ask repeatedly. Because I have physical limitations due to my accident, I need assistance with tasks others find routine (e.g. driving). The last time I drove, it did not end well. I won’t drive again unless and until there are very reliable and safe self driving cars. Perseveration is definitely not limited to a big larty, though it is more frequent when something important is on the horizon and on my mind. In that case, it would not be unusual for me to bring it up repeatedly. This is in part due to my short term memory deficits. I am not asking the same information to frisk anyone else, though I realize that may be the result of my repeatedly rai the same topic or question.I am asking because I genuinely want to know the answer and am frustrated that I cannot recall because of the way my particular TBI manifests itself. Before my accident, I could hold all of this information in my mind seamlessly. Now I cannot due to my short term memory loss. When I can’t remember something, it’s frustrating, and I perseverate. U am aware of when I am perseverating and tr to not do so, but it’s a work in progress like many of my other goals. Each bra injury is unique. Even though short term memory is hard for me, my long term memory prior to my accident remains intact, and I’m very thankful for that. And that the gingerbread party is back in full force. The 2024 gingerbread  party was great!!!