Think Twice

Yo Yo Yo!!!

I hope life is wonderful for everyone reading.  And if not, I hope your learning from whatever it is that's going on.  A short while ago a student that I had spoken asked if she could interview me for an article she was writing in her school magazine.  She lives in New Orleans and just emailed me the finished article.  I thought it was great.  Your awesome Jenna!  click on this link to see the article in her school's magazine...
http://www.shstigersroar.com/?p=4636

Have a good one!

Tyler

Gervais High School

Hello hello hello!!! 

On 2-17-2011 I spoke to Gervais High School down in Oregon.  It was thanks to Scott Stalcup and Tami Cash from Balfour Oregon for giving me the opportunity.  Gervais High was the second school that Scott and Tami were able to bring me out to.  The students there were some of the most receptive teenagers that I had ever spoken for.  When speeches go smooth like that I'm really able to get every emotion through to the audience in order for them to hopefully leave driving safe.  When I had two minutes left I chose to read them the poem that I had posted the other day.  The one that I wrote as a senior and let my younger brother use for a school project.  They stood up and clapped.  I had a huge smile on my face while I made them promise to drive safe and respect others while walking away.  I shook hands and met a few of the teachers that wanted to say thank you.  After everyone had cleared out the Principle, Mike Solem, asked me to head into his office.  I was sorta nevous...  He hadn't really said much before he shut his office door.  After it was shut he took pictures out of his wallet that he carries with him.  They were very graphic pictures of him in a coma while paralyzed after a tree had fallen on him.  He was 27 years old when it had happened.  As soon as I looked at the pictures I felt an immediate conection with him.  We're survivors!!!  All of us out there that have lived through something we shouldn't have, are bound for life.  We just haven't all met one another yet.  If you have an experience that was life changing, share it!  There are others out there.  Looking at Mike I would have never thought he had metal running up his spine or plates in his neck.  He had em though...  There's tons of us out there like that!  As we were heading out Mike told me that he wants my poem painted somewhere in the school.  He walked into the cafeteria and asked if I would like it on the wall in a spot students will see it for years.  I was and still am estatic.  I'm heading down when it's finished to sign my name at the bottom.  I'll post it for all of you.  It'll be one of the best moments of my life.  Speaking at Gervais High School was an amazing expeience.

Little Bros School Project

My younger brother was given a project in school in which the class had to bring a moving poem in and read out loud in front of everyone.  He is a 12th grader at Skyview High School.  The same school that my twin brother and I had BARELY graduated from.  My little bro is on the exact same pace as we were...lol.  He'll make it though!  My younger sister always set the bar pretty high for us brothers.  I'm beginning to ramble!  Back to the post...  My little brother called and asked if I could give him some deep writing of mine because he knows how much of it I have.  I said sure...  I started going through old journals of mine that I had kept in high school to try and find something deep that could relate to the teens he'll read it to.  After a few minutes I found one of my favorites during those years that I had even sent in to have copywritten.  Older writings always bring back crazy emotions and this one definitely did.  I figured I'd post it for all of you.  This one is about as real as it gets... I never gave it a title.  It can be whatever you feel after the last line.

12th Grade,

The biggest struggle of all,

Tryin to flip the page,

But the pain makes me slip up and fall,

Temptations at every corner that call,

My name,

The peers make it seem easy,

So why am I goin insane,

Ready to chase after and capture dreams,

But mistakes have me slow in my ways,

So don't make em!!!

They say,

But it's so easy to fray,

Especially with an injured mind like mine,

Where I'm forgettin each day,

Scars cover my body,

The pain shoots through my legs,

If it wasn't for my family,

There wouldn't be much more I could take,

I've lived through them for years,

One day I'll find the strength,

I smile through tears,

Does it mean that I have it,

The only way I can wake,

Is to understand that he planned it,

But how!!!

I can't stand this!!!

The driver walks through the halls,

I wish the ones that gave him attention,

Knew of the pain that he caused,

The doctors say I won't live to be sixty,

But he'll live that long,

He has dates for every dance,

My mother tells me the anger is wrong,

I can't stop it,

My legs wont even give me the chance,

To get up and dance at my prom,

I'm not begging for sorry,

It's high school,

He's to cool to say,

I just thought we were friends,

My pains on his mind,

When his eyes shut it replays,

He crys and I know it,

He can't be THAT sane,

His pride just wont show it,

It will past this age,

So I'm hopin one day,

And I'll pray that he trys,

To learn from this painful mistake,

And change the way he drives...

Tyler Presnell 2003

Your Image Really Means Nothing...

I had to relearn everything once I woke up from my coma in 1999. Ice skating was something I didn't care to relearn. On 2/5/2011 we all wanted to go do something and my sister's fiance mentioned ice sakting. I smiled and said, "lets do it!!!". I looked rediculous out there... Who cares though! I have a traumatic brain injury and did not want to hit my head on the ice. So I wore a helmit and was keeping my balance with something the little kids were using. I was also relearning how to skate with a paralyzed right foot. By the end of our skate session I was skating like every other beginner out there. Shaky but able to stay up on my own. This is exactly how we should drive! It doesn't matter how you look out there. Just take it slow and steady. That also goes for you adults that think because of your age you know everything. Most of you need to go back to drivers ed! I know I'm going to sound like an old timer saying this but its true... Slow and steady wins the race. I know for a fact that you know someone who has died from a car crash. We all do. Its a part of our lives now. Sad but true... Shouldn't that be enough to convince us to take it easy out there...?