Dear Stumbling,
Thank you for your kind and thought-provoking letter (see, I do read your blog, so ner ner ner ner ner, as you so eloquently put it). I think it’s time we had a little chat, don’t you? Mind the step and pull up a chair.
Look, between you and me, I know I wasn’t invited. I’m never exactly welcomed with open arms. I mean, really?
But let’s get a few things straight. Who told you life was going to be easy? You can’t turn the clock back and I’m here to stay, so you may as well get used to me hanging around, whether you like it or not (harsh but true).
Which leads me neatly to my next point. Sure, I’m pretty nasty. I mess up your body and put your brain in a blender. But I’ve been kind to you too. Don’t laugh – without me, would you really appreciate life so much more than you used to? Would you really make the most of every day? I don’t think so. You were quite happily trucking along, making plans, blah blah blah, without a care in the world. Life. Is. Not. That. Simple.
See? I helped you change your life, didn’t I? Yes, I know you lost everything, but we’ll run through that, shall we? Career? If your employer was going to treat you like that, they weren’t worth it anyway. Ditto partner. He scarpered at the first sign of trouble. I saved you the pain at a future date. And stop worrying about finding someone new. Find yourself first, then think about it. So in a strange kind of way, I simply hastened the process of clearing your life out, didn’t I?
And I really do think you should thank me for that. Sure, I prod you and push you over. And? I see you laughing at it now. You turned it round. You used to trip and curse every single time. Now you shrug it off. Life is all about adapting, every single day. Nothing stays the same. And if that’s the only thing I can teach you, then I’m happy.
You’re doing ok. You faced up to me (and to be frank, you’re a teeny bit scary when you do that). I think you are much more powerful than before, despite feeling weaker. Have a think about it.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with that. And please, no more pity parties. Yawn.
Yours forever,
MS
Brilliant. Funny. True. A triple crown winning blog post
Aw!!!! Thank you so much!
X
Stumbling,
Loved the blog. Glad you’re in a place where you can see everything, not just the crappy parts. It’s not getting knocked down that defines you, it’s the getting up! See, I too am trying to grasp the bigger picture!
What I loved the most, your sign off, “yours forever MS”. Made me laugh! Well done, as usual!
Karen
Thank you!
Must admit, I smiled when I wrote ‘yours forever’!!
I’m trying to see both sides of the MS argument. It took stuff, it gave me stuff. Not always for the better, but I’m nothing if not fair!!
X
Very creative posts. You both deserved to be heard.
Thanks Kerri!
My mind works in mysterious ways, lol. Never quite sure where it’s going to lead me x
‘Yours forever, MS’ – Brilliant!
Must admit, was pretty chuffed with that!
X
made me smile, thanks 🙂
Always good to smile! And even better when it’s about pesky MS 🙂
X
sent a shiver down me spine – like admitting to a draw in chess with Beelzebub.
Absolutely! A bit like that Chris de Burgh song about the devil playing cards on a train (I think). I’ve made a pact with the devil!
x
Wow, MS had only made me see who I really am, MS and I are one! I can say that ego, arrogance and ignorance is replaced with gratification, appreciation, humbleness and togetherness for the love of life!!!
Hi Adrian,
Me too. But it took a long time to get there!
x
I was diagnosed 13 years ago; relapsing\remitting and then secondary progressive to progressive, to primary progressive. From that point on, I had looked back and saw to what I had accomplished, prior; hockey, soccer, 4 gold medals in karate, water/snow skiing, roller blading/skating, you name it, I did it. just led a very active lifestyle but the lack of confidence put me in a state of confusion and finally then broke down, over-stepped my boundaries. God took that away from me and finally realized He had given me much more, to appreciate life. I finally got the strength to get that c.c.s.v.i procedure done, which was unsuccessful, gotten blood clots and was dissapointed of the outcome. It had taught me something in which I stated and told many people: “overstep your boundaries and look beyond your scope of vision”. And that’s it. Learned more about myself became a different person. I thank God for this. :0)
That’s amazing!
I wrote a blog post ages ago about how blessed I felt to have had the chance to appreciate life so much more, rather than turning 70 and looking back with regret.
MS is bad, no doubt about it, but if we can take the ‘good’ aspects from such a diagnosis, surely we can live a happier life, despite potential physical limitations?
x