One of the other things I was told to do was to lessen all stress in my life, but keep my mind active. That recommendation seemed a bit contradictory to me, but it isn’t. Being forced to retire got rid of all my stress. I struggled for a while to decide, and then I jumped into photography with both feet to try to learn as much as I could. I took an online basic college-level photography course. I could take my time, and I could repeat sections as needed. It clearly was needed. I then looked for another online photography course, and I found one that basically covered what I learned in the first one. It was helpful to me to reinforce what I tried to learn in the first course. The tests they asked me to take were very difficult for me. I skipped a few of them because I was not taking either course for a grade.

Taking the courses allowed me to keep my mind active and engaged. I was not stressed, because I was not trying for a grade and I could take as long as I needed to finish the course, even going through various sections more than once or twice. It has been a slow process, but not a stressful one. So what at first seemed contradictory was actually very possible to do, and I am glad that I did it. Especially before it was too late. I am confident that once you decide what you want to do to keep your mind engaged, whatever that might be, you will find a way to do it in a stress-free manner.

Even now, as I try to create this website, I am frequently running into problems, causing me to stop and take breaks, as well as ask for help online from various sources. So it helps me in two ways, that is, it keeps my mind active, and I am “socializing” with those who help me. However you decide to move forward, assuming you do, you will run into problems, and you will need to reach out, to some degree, to get help, which is a good thing.

Another symptom that has been a constant and is easily increased is the confusion I experience. At times too many signals, noises, etc. come into my brain and overwhelm it. It is almost impossible for me to participate in conversations where there are multiple people speaking. I get confused when I am talking with one person if their story gets too lengthy or complex. My mind cannot last very long trying to figure out what someone just said to me. The way I deal with it is to either withdraw from the conversation, or tell the person or people to slow down.

This photo of two mustang stallions from the Onaqui herd was taken near Simpson Springs in 2025. It appears that even living in a herd can be stressful. I often observed stallions fighting, and when they were done, they basically meandered through the herd like nothing had happened. The more we can get rid of fighting and contention in our lives, especially while dealing with our diseases, the better chance we have of slowing down our disease and finding peace as we meander through life.

This photo was taken in March of 2026, when this herd of Onaqui mustangs did a 180 degree turn, for no apparent reason, and came straight at me. They had all been walking in the opposite direction. I assumed they were confused. You can see my camera and tripod, along with the back hatch of my car, where I was sitting for safety purposes. Sometimes our confusion might cause us to do or say something embarrassing or simply not be understood or not understand. Remember these horses, if they were confused they were coming straight at me with no hesitation. Whenever you can, move forward, even if you do hit some confusion along the way. And keep going until life gives you some direction to go a different way.