I was a good musician. That lasted me twenty years of my life, and ended two years ago because of hyperacusis (which I am painfully aware I keep bringing up, but people keep asking—and I respond to this).
I am a good typist. Two fingers and thumbs on the space bar mostly, what I call "hunt and seek", but: recently, my wrists have developed horrible cramps. Even with a lot of breaks throughout the day, it keeps hurting, but I'm afraid to stop because my work depends on it. Residents of Second Life asking for help, I have to continue communicating.
I've already had one career (techno music) die, and working for Linden Lab and having truely found a second life in SL, I want this to live on. Why is it that in my life, when something goes badly wrong, it warps itself into such a terribly right configuration a few months later—in ways I couldn't have possibly foreseen?
Now here's where it gets even more complicated: I'm not sure if ergonomic keyboards would make a great difference, given my unorthodox style. I've also considered text-to-speech. But, speaking would mean making noise, which I can't tolerate much of because of my hyperacusis. So speaking all day wouldn't be ideal either.
And it makes me feel trapped. But at least I have the benefit of hindsight, knowing I've been through hard things, and there'll be more to come. And I just have to keep going.
(The elaborate, dreamsharing part of me waxes that this is where I find out I've been trapped in a mine of precious shards of crystal, and not only are they valuable, they have healing properties!)
Thanxies to everyone who wrote in offering me advice and suggestions!