Putting the Pieces Together

I planned an early morning bike ride on July 4^th. I ended up leaving later than I wanted. I downed my usual big Saturday morning breakfast, drank some water, then headed out.

Halfway through the ride, I stopped at an old country church to eat a snack, rehydrate, and cool off. When I went to get on my bike, I was blown away. My bike computer showed the temperature to be123° Once I got back on the road, the temperature began ticking up to 125°.

I tuned out the temperature to press on so I could get home and eat a nutrient-packed lunch. Once home, I checked the stats from my ride. I was shocked to see that the temperature maxed out at 126°. I felt fine the entire time. Never cramped up. The secret isn’t that I am in great shape, but in critical factors that help us stay alive like:

• Adequate rest and sleep
• Proper hydration
• Beneficial fuel for energy
• Critical electrolytes

That’s when I had an aha moment about what it means to be healthy. I hadn’t realized I had gotten enough electrolytes and nutrients from a breakfast containing carbohydrates, electrolytes, simple sugars.

If you want to be healthier, there are many steps: sleep, hydration, nutrition, portion control, and exercise. Focusing on only one or two of these steps doesn’t help anyone become healthier.

Putting the Pieces Together

After my accident, I had to listen to doctors and therapists to help assess my needs and learn how to manage living with my TBI. My doctors monitored what had changed on the inside of me, my brain, and organ functions. But my therapists analyzed how what was going on inside affected how I moved and responded on the outside.

Before I could leave the hospital, I needed to have a plan for my recovery from the accident. This required getting all the pieces of the plan together. After getting out of the hospital, rehabilitation was next, followed by outpatient therapy. It wasn’t a quick or easy season for me.

A few years ago, I was at that rehabilitation hospital to see a local cyclist who had been hit by a car. I learned the hospital no longer had outpatient therapy. Their focus now is on getting patients healthy enough to go home and enjoy life after they put the pieces back together in-house.

The Writer’s Life

Most writers begin their writing journeys with a big idea, no training, and even less understanding of the publication process. Writers, like many people beginning a path to being healthier, fall into trends, fads, including blatantly bad and unhealthy lifestyles. They want quick results without much effort.

They don’t understand the basics of how our bodies work and what they need to function properly. Beginning writers often lack basic grammar, spelling, and techniques needed to become a professional writer or achieve publication.

Unfortunately, many writers try to take shortcuts that may seem logical but are not helpful in the long run. There is a big difference between taking shortcuts and asking others for help.

Asking for Help Is Okay

As long as I’ve been part of the writing, disability, and fitness communities, I’ve learned that it is perfectly fine and even beneficial to ask others for help when you need it, not as a shortcut but as a learning process.

Many writers, me included, have reached out to professional writers for help as mentors for both guidance and encouragement on their writing journeys. Published writers have been successful at putting the pieces together in their craft that are needed to be successful as a professional writer:

1. Learning the craft
2. Curating ideas
3. Networking
4. Building platforms
5. Learning patience
6. Gaining experience
7. Developing their voice
8. 8) Gaining representation

Possessing or achieving one of the above doesn’t guarantee for signing with an agent or receiving a publishing contract. Each piece of the publication process takes time and effort to learn.

Be a Pro

I spent much of the past month watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup, both as a fan and a former soccer player. I understand the discipline, training, and expertise it takes to play soccer at such a professional level.

One of the most impressive games I watched was between England and Norway; the two teams battled it out in Miami with the heat index over 100 degrees for 120 minutes. Neither team was used to such harsh climate conditions, but they still needed to train and prepare beforehand.

Norway’s star player Erling Haaland made the news for his elite high-calorie nutritional diet. He was one of the few players to play in the game that never cramped up. Elite athletes train and condition their bodies for more efficiency and performance by putting the right pieces together: rest, nutrition, hydration, and climate conditioning.

These aren’t just necessary for top athletes; anyone who wants to spend the rest of their life healthy and productive needs to put the pieces together to stay fit.

For me, exercise isn’t so much about appearance, but performance and staying healthy. After my accident, I was forced to make certain lifestyle changes to help me live with my disability:

• Prioritizing sleep
• Staying hydrated
• Staying active
• Limiting caffeine

Recently, a writer friend posted a humorous picture about the importance of water; the Charlie Brown cartoon expresses the understanding of water as essential, ”Because water is needed to make coffee. While I understand the logic and humor, I couldn’t help but clarify how they cancel out nutritionally.

Many writers believe they cannot write or live without coffee. I firmly believe writers can live without coffee, as long as they put the other pieces together as well as they do with their writing habits that have made them professionals. Whether nutritionally or professionally, we all need to remember to put all the pieces together!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.