David Nelson Nelson's Blog, page 2

Helping Victims from Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge FiresThree...

Helping Victims from Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge Fires
Three Stories
By
David Nelson12-5-2016
“I want to leave some for the others.”

I imagine there were fifty of us volunteers and probably thirty National Guardsmen who worked non-stop today in Pigeon Forge, TN. We sorted items from hundreds of boxes from at least two semis and many other box loads from people who brought items by car, truck and trailer.
At around 9:30 this morning, a frail, elderly and obviously shy woman stood in the doorway with her hands in the pockets of the heavy, tattered winter coat she wore because misting rain. Another volunteer asked if she needed help. I walked by as the lady straightened the old scarf she wore over her head.
She looked down at the floor. “Yes, I do need a toothbrush and some toothpaste and maybe I could get some soup if it would be OK.”
The volunteer wheeled one of the shopping carts we were using to move the donated items up to the old woman. The two of them somehow managed to maneuver the buggy between five- foot high stacks of boxes scattered around the large auditorium.
Several minutes later, I passed the two of them and noticed one tooth rush, one tube of toothpaste and two cans of soup in her cart.
The old lady looked again at the floor and spoke quietly. “No I don’t want to take any more. I want to leave some for the others.”
The volunteer assured the woman she could take all she wanted. The woman refused, stuffed the items into her large coat pockets and shuffled out the door. I lifted a box of items from under the canopy outside, turned and saw the woman disappear around the corner. I was told she lost everything she had in the fire.
She only took two cans of soup, a toothbrush and toothpaste. I wish I knew her name. My water-filled eyes blinked rapidly at the thought of what many of these people have lost.


“His name is Billy.”

In addition to the semis that were driven from Alabama and Indiana private citizens filled the parking lot of the old theater building. I walked out the door when a young mother carrying a plastic-filled bag with combs, soap and shampoo approached me.
“Excuse me, where can I put these things I bought?”
“I’ll take care of them,” I replied and smiled at the little girl who appeared to be maybe two years old. Next to her was a blond-haired boy who was maybe four years old.
The little boy extended his arm up toward me and I noticed the worn stuffed animal in his tiny grasp. “Here, Sir. His name is Billy. I want to give him to somebody.”
I got down on both knees to look directly into that little boy’s eyes. “You will make some other little boy very happy.”
He handed me that animal and gave me a hug. “Thank you,” he said.
They turned and walked away toward their car. I carried Billydown to the section marked “Children’s Toys” and placed him on top of a large box stuffed with animals. I wiped water from my eye and went back to work.


“Dolly wants to thank all of you for what you are doing.”
In the early afternoon I noticed other volunteers stopped their work and looked off to the far side of the room. I turned to see a handler with a majestic eagle perched on his left arm. Several of us walked over to get a close up view. It was a first for me.
I heard the handler say he was from the eagle sanctuary at Dollywood. He said, “Dolly wants to thank all of you for what you are doing.”
 I followed him outside and he graciously allowed me to have my picture taken with him and the bird. He looked at me and shook his head. “Isn’t it great when Americans come together.”
I nodded and said, “Indeed it is.”

The relief organizers need help seven days a week and I was told the need would be this way for months. The arsonist who started that fire may have taken lives, taken property and taken jobs away, but our spirit is strong and, yes, Americans have come together.

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: Depression Survival

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: Depression Survival: Depression Survival Depression – It’s All In Your Head I unfolded the thick stack of papers, poured a cup ...

Depression Survival

Depression Survival
Depression – It’s All In Your Head
I unfolded the thick stack of papers, poured a cup of coffee and began reading. As a retried physical therapist with extensive training and experience, I knew the most important section to read first was the precautions with all new medications.
“POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS: headache, trouble focusing, memory loss, change in thinking clearly and with logic, weakness, seizures, change in balance. Other effects may include bleeding, shortness of breath, chest pains, anxiety, weight loss, bad dreams, thoughts of killing yourself, dangerous impulses, violent behavior.”
That was the first of ten pages of precautions. The last one read, “New or worse depression.”
I shook my head and tossed the unopened bottle of pills into a bag I keep for expired medications. A couple times a year there are places in my community where the public can drop off old medicines and then be disposed of properly.
The event started earlier that day when I had my annual physical. I told my physician I had two fleeting moments in the past year of suicide ideations from my clinical depression. Such thoughts are not unusual for the nineteen million people who suffer from the disease. Should you ever experience this, I recommend you go immediately to an emergency room.
My physician meant well when he prescribed the medicine. But after reading the list of precautions, I knew for certain I was not about to take the medicine. I would do what I have done for nearly six decades of coping with the disease. My preferred method of choice is self-treatment. Research has shown that depression can be effectively treated in 80% of the cases using medicine; talk therapy or a combination – along with years of self-improvement techniques.
Emotional symptoms of depression can include: Sad mood, loss of interest in life, loss of interest in one pleasurable activities, sense of worthlessness, lack of hope, thoughts of death or suicide, anxiety, and empty feeling. Some physical signs may include: fatigue, insomnia, chronic pain, significant weight loss or gain, restlessness, irritability and decreased energy.
Should you have a desire to kill yourself here are two valuable suicide hotline numbers to call immediately. Again, I stress the need to go directly to the E-R department at your nearest hospital. 1-800-784-2433 or 1-800-273-8255
Because of my training and regular reading of scientific articles about the disease, I am well aware of brain function and depression. Research has shown that there are centers deep inside the brain that show changes in depressed people. These areas are responsible for our moods, emotions such as anger, pleasure, sorrow and fear. They also control our perceptions of reality. Other reactions controlled include how we react to stress, appetite and ability to sleep.
Billions of messages are sent throughout the brain by neurotransmitters. These messages are passed along via chemical and electrical impulses and then back to chemical. Some of the more common chemicals required to transmit messages include serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. Research has proven there are significant changes in the production – or lack of production - of these neurotransmitters with depressed people. Parts of the brain shrink in some patients with depression and PET scans show impressive electrical changes in depressed people.
Despite the research, scientists still do not know if the brain changes cause the depression or if the depression causes the changes in neurotransmitters. Genetic researchers have discovered some links among family members having depression. The areas of how we react to stress, child abuse and mood change have all been linked to specific genes.
Depression is one puzzle piece with diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, circulatory problems, kidney dysfunction, heart disorders, immune diseases and high cholesterol. Medications to treat depression can be powerful tools.
Talk therapy, exercise and decades of self-inspection have assisted me with my disease. There are other forms of treatment that have pros and cons. I haven’t tried any of these, but simply report them here for you. Some of these include: phototherapy (light therapy), nerve stimulation implants, electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation. There is no one magical cure for depression. Each person, working in conjunction with the physician has to find what works best.
It does no good to tell a person hit with a wave of depression to pull themselves out it, to forget about it, try to feel better and so on. I have no control when a wave of depression crashes over me. I don’t choose to live that way. I have no say in the matter. I realize I am about to run away emotionally and shut down refusing to share my feelings. I become less active and have no energy. I sleep deeper. I don’t shave or shower and I don’t care. I exist and hold on for the ride knowing it will pass. Sometimes I get hit a couple times a year. Occasionally, I am hit many times in a year. My inner strength has allowed me to reach deep inside and still function as valuable member of society.
Depression has been reported in many high functioning people. Some of these have included: Mark Twain, Sir Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, Barbara Bush, Tipper Gore, President John Adams and even President Abraham Lincoln.  It’s sad, and yet understandable, to remember those who lost their battles. Robyn Williams, Heath Ledger and NFL athletes Andre Waters and Dave Duerson are some well-known people who committed suicide. Depression is a serious disease. If you are not seeking help, I encourage you to do so.
I have found hobbies to be a valuable tool. Hobbies build a sense of self-worth, take my mind away from negative thoughts and improve my ability to focus. Writing, drawing, fishing, creating stained glass artwork and even squawking away with my saxophone are some of my tools. I try to go to the gym three to four times a week, I meditate and I share my feelings.
Whatever method you choose I wish you well in your journey. Remember, you are not alone.
To learn more of my life story I refer you to my books at www.davidnelsonauthor.com
http://youtu.be/y3EWghb6qnU

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: “It’s Too Late When We Die.”(Words from the son...

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS:

“It’s Too Late When We Die.”
(Words from the son...: “It’s Too Late When We Die.” (Words from the song, The Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics) I stretched out my trembling ...

“It’s Too Late When We Die.”(Words from the song, The Liv...

“It’s Too Late When We Die.”
(Words from the song, The Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics)

I stretched out my trembling hand to wake him from deep sleep. I grasp his bony biceps and felt mush where powerful muscles once tightened the tissue. I swallowed and gathered strength to speak.
“Dad, I have to go now. I love you.”
His eyes never opened and in a whisper he said. “I love you too, David.”
Those were the last words my dad ever said to me. It was at the Veterans’ Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. I returned to my home in Florida and to the life I made for myself as a physical therapist.
Ten days later I was flying back to Iowa to say good-bye to his body. He was in his mid fifties and dead from cancer. I stood before his casket and thanked him for his words of love spoken days before.
For that was only the second time he ever said he loved me. Each of those times occurred after he beat the demons of alcoholism. I never would have thought years prior that such a kind heart lived in the chest of the man who pulverized me from age eight until age seventeen.
I was whipped with both ends of a belt, kicked with steel-toed work boots, slapped, punched and pinched on what seemed like a regular occurrence. I was once locked away in a darkened, hot stairwell that connected our cellar to the backyard above. I was in that tomb for some sixteen hours with no food or water. I had only spiders and cockroaches to keep me company in the pitch blackness. That was the day I lost my childhood. I was eight-years old.
Dad quit drinking years later, his personality changed, his persona changed and his wicked heart was filled with love. Then he became sick. There was so much I wanted to say. There were so many things I wanted the two of us to do together. But, he became sick. I never told him how proud I was of him. I never told him he was one of my heroes. I regret that. 
He appealed to the better angels and they listened. Both of us listened and we became friends. But then he became ill.
I am now decades older than that day when I stood next to him in the hospital when we shared our hearts and our love. I say to you, the reader, speak your heart now, because, “It’s too late when we die.”
My book, “The Shade Tree Choir” tells my story of physical and emotional child abuse.  All of my books speak to this topic is some fashion.
www.davidnelsonauthor.com
Listen to the song about a boy and his father.
https://youtu.be/uGDA0Hecw1k

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: David Nelson announces the release of his new book...

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: David Nelson announces the release of his new book...: David Nelson announces the release of his new book, “Art From The Heart.” He combines his storytelling and poetry talents with each piece ...

David Nelson announces the release of his new book, “Art ...

David Nelson announces the release of his new book, “Art From The Heart.” He combines his storytelling and poetry talents with each piece of black & white art. It will be up to you to determine if what he says is fact or fiction. Nelson in the Cowboy Poet Laureate of Tennessee and performs across America. He has now added a love of drawing to his other crafts.
Nelson has authored numerous books about growing up in his hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. Some of his drawings are from his childhood home in the Midwest.

Books may be order through his website at www.davidnelsonauthor.com “Art From The Heart” is $20 plus shipping.


Here is a sampling of one of the numerous pieces found in my book.
Amish Buggy


I leaned against a fence in grassy field and wondered of this cart’s history.If the seat and wheels could talk, they’d tell me a great mystery.
Oh, imagine roads less travelled on a quiet sunny day,And the clopping gait of horse in front and the music from his neigh.
In younger days, the driver made that horse obey and also had her hustle.With reins in hand, the old man slumps and hardly moves a muscle.
One day the buggy lost its use and was hauled here by the wife.She climbed upon the seat and dwelled on memories and on life.
The old cracked leather echoed splats from tears that day she cried. The buggy lost its partners the day the horse and old man died.

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: Republican Criteria for President

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: Republican Criteria for President: Republicans Debate Republican candidate, Donald Trump bragged about his penis size during the debate on March 3, 2016. What have we come ...

Republican Criteria for President

Republicans Debate


Republican candidate, Donald Trump bragged about his penis size during the debate on March 3, 2016. What have we come to in American politics?

This is for any of you men thinking of running for President. It is short and sweet - no pun intended

"If I ran for President"

You won't be elected if you run for President.
Even if you're born here and are a resident.

It's not lies caught by Fact Checker.
It's because you have a little pecker.

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: The Public School Advantage

David Nelson, Author & Cowboy Poet | PALS: The Public School Advantage: My childhood friend wrote the following article. It is re-printed here with his permission. Dave Markward is considered an authority figure ...