Happy Friday! Yep! It’s Friday once again! For most of us it’s the end of the work week! Rock! On! 🙂 I seem to always provide a weather update in my opening, so we’ll keep things consistent! I believe summer has officially hit Charlotte. It’s going to be sunny and in the mid 80’s today and then the upper 80’s and low 90’s for as far as the weather forecast goes! I’m so glad we put a pool in… 🙂
So… the title of this week’s post! “Years and Years of MS”. It’s true. I’ve had MS, at least as best I can tell, for 30 years! Can you believe it? It’s a bit hard to believe that some parts of my life have been impacted by this disease for well over half of my life. Geez. Saying it like that is pretty depressing. 🙂 May sound depressing, but it’s not. Just another fact to throw out there to the World.
I wonder, at times, how life would have been had the MS Monster not been a part of my life. Physically… maybe I wouldn’t have slept 15 hours a day on my honeymoon (My wife and I still say… WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ABOUT?… right!)? Maybe I wouldn’t have blamed walking inconsistencies on new shoes? Maybe I wouldn’t have felt dizzy for days on end with never mentioning it to a doctor? Perhaps I would have been more of a patient father if I hadn’t always felt tired and pressed for time? Mentally… maybe I would have gone further in my education and career if my memory and ability to concentrate hadn’t been impacted. Maybe I’d do a better job remembering the names of people I’ve met so there are no awkward “Do you mind telling me your name again?” kind of questions? Good grief!
I don’t know… that is definitely a short list of the many “What if’s” that come to mind. Some, of course, are rather personal so I’ll leave those on the barren mental shelves where they belong. Unfortunately, I tend to be a person who relives things and plays them over and over again in my mind (I actually wonder if that is not some weird symptom of MS too) so the journey back to what MS has cost me over the years… it’s just not worth the time. Right? 🙂
Thinking about the DOOMY and GLOOMY aspects of life with MS… I can’t help but ponder the benefits. Hmmmm… Tough one! 🙂 If I REALLY stretch myself to find the positives, there are likely a few, but at the moment I can only think of one or maybe two. Isn’t that sad? I do know that I am far less judgemental when it comes to people. I try not to cringe too much when someone who looks “normal” parks in the handicap spot and runs into the gym (For one example). Also, I am definitely more empathetic about relating to other people and the struggles they are going through… especially if they verbalize them (I mean.. come on! The rumor is always swirling around, so some of the secrets we think we’re keeping.. may not really be a secret. Man up and spill your guts!). The number of people suffering in silence and feeling all alone….. I just can’t imagine how they do it. 🙁 So sad…
With all the Con’s and the limited Pro’s I’ve experienced with MS, I am happy to say that I have had, and still do, an amazing life! A wife of almost 27 years, four kids, friendships that most people only wish they had and an interesting life full of bumps, bruises, giggles and laughs! Perhaps some of my appreciation for the years spent on this planet comes from the realization that every day is a blessing, whether good or bad. Sure, there are tough times looking back and, I’m sure, tough times to come! However, the good times happening between those bumps is I try to maintain my focus. It sure beats moaning and groaning about all the crap. That’s for sure. 🙂
That’s it for today! Hope everyone has a great weekend! I believe I am up to 10-15 visits a day to this Blog, so that’s pretty exciting! 🙂 If you feel compelled to leave a comment or question… please do! I’d love to hear from you!
Til next time!
Steve
