It Could Always Be Worse

When I was a little younger and struggling with the "why me" notion, I would occasionally get a little down (feeling sorry for myself). It never seemed to fail that whenever I was in one of those moods something always seemed to happen that would remind me how fortunate I am and how much worse off many others are. It might be a phone call, an email message, or a conversation with someone, but it would always be a reminder that, yes, I have Kennedy's Disease, but I am in good health otherwise.

That last time I was feeling sorry for myself was when I broke my tibia and fibula after just recovering from two other breaks. I was feeling terrible that my wife had to go through another convalescence with me (the caregiver always suffers as much as you do). I was also feeling a little down because life would be a more difficult over the next three-to-four months of healing. The doctor warned me that I could not put any weight on my left leg without causing more damage. For a healthy person, this would be difficult enough. For someone with Kennedy's Disease, this becomes incrementally more difficult because the other leg (as well as the arms-shoulders) is not strong enough to help compensate for the loss of the one leg. Additionally, we did not have a vehicle that would allow me to travel (in my wheelchair) during the healing process. What that meant was that I was stuck in my home for several months. Woe is me!

Well, right about the same time that I was feeling a little grumpy (my wife would have a different word for my attitude), our neighbor and good friend was struggling with terminal cancer. This wonderful person was going through chemotherapy and then some aggressive experimental chemotherapy while trying to hang on to her life long enough to see her first granddaughter born. She was experiencing terrible pain with only the slimmest ray of hope that these procedures would help. Yet, as she was going through all this, she would call or stop by to check on me to see if I was doing okay. Talk about a "wake-up call."

Several years ago, I began using a mantra to help me through the highs and lows of living with Kennedy's Disease. Every time I think how bad or how good something is, I remind myself that … this too will pass. These four words help me refocus my thoughts and emotions and get me back on track. Life is never as good or bad as it seems. It is only your "perception of the moment" that decides how good or bad it is. And, in regards to your perception, this too will pass.