Who knew I could be grateful for my MS? I’d love to have never been diagnosed with it, to never have to deal with the pain and all of the struggles. But I do have MS, and it’s here to stay. You know, you can run, but you can’t hide. Some gifts gratitude have given me are:
1. Gratitude has taught me to be more open and made me even stronger. Dealing with almost constant pain and some really strange symptoms have made me learn that I can take a lot more than I thought I could. And I have to be open when I see doctors so much. That openness has automatically transferred to other parts of my life.
2. Gratitude has made it so much easier to relate to other people and their issues.
3. Gratitude has shown me that people are so much more than their outer shells.
4. Gratitude has made me appreciate the beauty in the everyday moments so much more.
5. Gratitude for my MS has made my relationships better, and eliminated the ones that weren’t worth it.
6. Gratitude has lead me to service. It has guided me to volunteer with my support group, and to be an activist in so many ways.
7. Gratitude has taught me to not sweat the small stuff as much, and to realize that most things are small things. It has also taught me to pick the battles I do choose to fight very carefully.
So, to wrap it up, I’m not happy I have MS, but it isn’t going to turn me into a miserable person, no matter how I feel. Never ever give up!
Thank you 🙂 No matter the amount of pain, we can chose to be grateful. So many blogs I read seem to claim the right to be moody or miserable, rather than focusing on how to live with grace whilst in pain. I don’t think it’s helpful to decide that nothing good can come out of life, that there’s definitely no cure for one’s condition, or that any dose of activity would cause irreversible damage. So prevalent seems to be this train of thought that I’ve almost grown weiry of admitting my condition.