“What would you say about today?”

“I’d say it was a pretty good day.”

“I think we’re going to need more. How was your walk? We never talked about your walk.”

“My walk was great. Three and a quarter miles. Felt great. But it wasn’t any faster. Still 17 minute miles.”

“I’ve never knew you were so obsessed with speed.”

“Well, we used to do fifteen something. So it’s not as fast. But it felt fast. . . And OT was great today.”

“What great about it?”

“It was a mix of exercises and her just rubbing my shoulders to really get at the pain. That helped a lot.”

“Does she say anything encouraging,” I ask, feeling very much like a parent.

“Yes. She’s super encouraging.”

“Is there anyway you could unpack that a little?”

“Well, for example, I told her that if my shoulders are always going to feel like this, I’m not sure I can do it, and she said, basically, don’t worry, that I was still in the acute phase, very close to the accident, so its normal to feel this kind of pain.”

“You’re in a very cute phase. I’m sorry if that’s painful because I think it’s likely permanent.”

“You’re funny,” she said, without much conviction. “Oh, you can also say that I had a lot of energy today. I took the bins out, I did the laundry, I did a load of dishes.”

“I’m not saying that. People will think I do nothing.”

Silence.

“People will have the false impression that I don’t do anything.”

“What? I’m sorry. I think I must be getting sleepy.”

“Did you nap today?”

“I lay on the couch but I did not sleep.”

“So no dreams?”

“No dreams.”

“That’s no good. You’ve got to have a dream.”

“I didn’t sleep, though.”

“If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true.”

“Okay. I get it. I think I might read now. Or sleep.”

Silence.

“I have a dream.”

“That’s nice.”

Quite a bit more silence.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“I’ll just wait for it to come true and you can show it to me then.”

There are 20 days in the Collar Countdown.