Leafletting & talking to people

I find myself thinking about doing this type of activism more and more. Seems fairly peaceful and simple.
The one part that makes me uneasy, is I may have to talk to people. This isn't normally a problem. I was a pretty social person, and I'm easily approachable(I've been told).

Since the brain injury though, it's tricky navigating conversations. I'm definitely not as social for that very reason. For a long time I had to think about the way to form sounds to make words(how do I make a long 'a' sound again?). It was terribly exhausting, and it sometimes took a long time to say what I wanted to communicate. This was finally resolved sometime in December 2010. I still forget words from my vocabulary.
For example, talking to Troy about kitchen renovations, and I said "we should get a new oven-head". Troy replied, with a wry smile, "like...a range-hood?" Admittedly, it was pretty cute. We shared a laugh.

One of the coping skills I was taught, is to think of words that are related to the one I want to use. So if I can't think of the word 'chair', I'll call it a 'sitting-shelf''.  It's not always perfect, true, but it gets the point across.
I'm afraid I'll run into that problem. It doesn't happen as often it once did, even months ago, but I don't want non-vegans to judge me as stupid, and I really don't want to represent veganism as that. It simply can't be helped. Chances are, you're the only vegan that that someone knows.

I think I just need a bit more time. Who knows, it could be really different in a month, I am improving quickly. And if I've learned anything from my brain injury, it's that "practice makes perfect". Which, isn't really true, but practice makes everything easier, for sure!

When I came out of the coma, I couldn't speak because I had a trach in my throat. So they tried to give me paper to communicate, but I just would write each letter directly on top of the last. Off to therapies! And lots of practice.

Honestly, I almost prefer to communicate through email(or whatnot) because I can take all the time I need to think of all the words I want to use, and to organize my thoughts. I love reading, so my vocabulary is pretty good and I sound pretty smart most of the time. <sigh> Just be patient. I guess.