It's not insanity. And Einstein didn't say it was.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Albert Einstein may have said something on the topic. But that quote, often attributed to the legendary scientist, wasn't his. The line may have come from a mystery novel written decades after his death or Narcotics Anonymous literature of roughly the same vintage (the 1980s).

The quote is often used to make a simple point:  repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting different results is, at best, foolish.

It's wrong.  

I'm glad I'm not debating Einstein here. But I'm sure of my ground, at least when it comes to concussions.

My experience with my recovery is that what doesn't work one year may well work the next. 

As I write this, I am once again exploring the possible benefits of creatine (under the supervision of a doctor; I don't do anything without first getting medical advice and everyone should follow that rule). I have tried creatine before without any noticeable benefit. I'm trying it again because this time it might be different. My hope is that my brain at this stage of my recovery may be ready for whatever energy boost creatine may be able to provide.

It didn't work before. It might work now because I can function better. I have "the basics" under better control. I don't get overwhelmed as easily. Motion doesn't throw me the same way. The bright afternoon light reflecting off my neighbour's fence doesn't immediately drain my brain now. 

I believe my brain was so overwhelmed in the past that an energy boost, no matter the source,  couldn't help me.  What would more energy have done for me when my eyes weren't tracking properly or when I was suffering from years of relentless headaches?

And in this debate over something Einstein didn't say, here's the simplest argument of them all.

My recovery continues because, with a lot of support and encouragement, I kept doing many things many times. I did many hours of eye-tracking exercises and endless balance routines. I went back to books often, trying to read complicated novels when I clearly couldn't.

I did the same things over and over again, hoping for different results.

But eventually (sometimes it was years) I got some results and oddly, I often improved all at once, as if I had been playing a video game and suddenly "levelled up." I have written about that phenomenon before. The pattern has repeated with several symptoms and it is powerful reason to keep doing the same things over and over again.

So I'm back on the treadmill, trying out high intensity cardio workouts again (with medical supervision).  The creatine is part of my daily routine once more. I'm thinking about restarting some of my balance exercises to see if they will give me an extra edge. There are other therapies and supplements I will try again in my search for maximum recovery.

Einstein, in my opinion,  did say something that applies here. I consider these words to recover by.

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."