Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Fight the fights worth fighting!!!

I know my writings have been hit or miss in the past, but I’m trying. My memory isn’t what it used to be. Too many things to do and not enough time. The kids think I play games to waste time, they don’t understand that it is how I keep my brain active. Hidden Item games are amazing for keeping the memory going and so are puzzle games.

Anyway, I had a thought today. When asked for the billionth time about how I cope with having MS, I reply that I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You know, like the Abominable Snowman and that song from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “Just one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking out the door.” You know you remember that movie. Bombie is one of my favorite characters and now he is my inspiration on most days. Just getting out of bed is a victory. People don’t get it.

How is it that you are in so much pain and so sick but you keep working? Uhm, duh. I’m broke. I need the health care benefits and the paycheck. Sure, I could quit my job, forfeit my pension, and live off of disability for the rest of my life, but I can’t afford to live like that. I want to live. I want my life. To me, that is giving up. Don’t get me wrong, for some, it’s the only option. My husband is physically disabled and is on disability, but it was a fight, a three year fight, to get him on it. Without it, doom. It helps. He worked a lot of years to earn the right to have that available to him. Thankfully, his working paid for his disability payments and gives him access to Medicare. Thank the heavens. Without that health care, we’d be deeper in medical bills than we already are.

This situation and conversation with a coworker is what triggered my thought today. Remember the movie, “The American President,” with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening? Great movie. One of my favorites. There is a moment in that movie, where Michael Douglas’ character is having a heated discussion with his Chief of Staff, A.J. MacInerny played by Martin Sheen and discussing the situation at hand. A.J. has the best line in this movie while discussing fights that can be won and he says, “You fight the fights that need fighting.” Awesome line. Thank you, Mr. Aaron Sorkin.

I want a shirt that says that on the back and Finding a cure for MS on the front. What do you think?

I’m tired of getting the “But you don’t look sick,” comments. I’m just tired of the charming people that lend their opinions to all these new fangled diets and trends that they seem to think will cure my MS. I say thank you to them for caring about me, but seriously, don’t you think I’ve tried that stuff? Those things aren’t for everyone, every body is different and need different things. Mine happens to need more Vitamin D. For some reason my system seems to have a hatred for the stuff and refuses to process it naturally. So difficult. LoL.

However, I have decided to try and enjoy life a bit more. Try to live while I can. I’m starting a bucket list. I’m trying to chill but I’m not fragile. Not yet. I can still do some things for myself. Like two other favorite quotes, “MS is a bitch, but I’m not MS’ bitch,” and “I have MS, but it doesn’t have me.”

Fight the fights worth fighting, people! 

That’s how we get things done!


Peace!