Honestly, our world had such a dramatic shift that I can only be grateful for the 'toys' of illness. They brought true calm to our lives. They brought on an easing of stress. It was our choice to embrace the possibilities these 'toys' brought back into our lives.
And in those moments, if you look closely, what you will see is the gift of time. These 'toys' allowed us to reach beyond ourselves, through the darkness towards where the light shines. They offered us opportunity for hope and shared love.
So don't cry when you see or hear from family and friends of a rough diagnosis, but instead rejoice in hope. Take joy even when their world is rocking and crumbling, even as everything changes. And in the midst of their hurdles..watch, listen and believe, be witness to grace and love.
I speak from my experience; I am aware that illness manifests itself differently in patients, caregivers, family and friends. But in my experience I have been witness to amazing grace, amazing men and women who humbled me. With your eyes and your heart be garteful when you see medical 'toys'. They allow energy to be saved for other things, they allowed me as a caregiver some peace of mind.
Today, this flit across my computer screen and it says my thoughts with far more eloquence and articulation:
Most of us have been raised to believe that the road to a happy life is paved with pleasure, and that the pursuit of pleasure is the path to fulfillment. But as we grow up, we begin to realize that life is not always easy or pleasurable. In fact, much of it is difficult and painful. We all experience loss, disappointment, illness, aging, and eventually death. We encounter stress, anxiety, and fear. We suffer from the slings and arrows of everyday life.
And yet, we continue to cling to the idea that happiness is found in pleasure and the avoidance of pain. We try to avoid our painful experiences by numbing ourselves with drugs or alcohol, distracting ourselves with TV or social media, or obsessing over our work or our relationships. But the more we try to avoid the basic reality that all human life involves pain, the more we are likely to struggle with that pain when it arises, thereby creating even more suffering.
The truth is that happiness is not found in the avoidance of pain, but in the willingness to face and accept our pain. It is in the willingness to experience our painful thoughts and feelings, to acknowledge them without judgment, and to take action in line with our values and goals. It is in the willingness to be present in the moment, to connect with our senses and our environment, and to find joy and meaning in the simple things in life. ~Russ Harris
In our world (MY world) of advancing age, I must acknowledge that life will likely share some pain with me. It has in my younger years, why not as a senior citizen?In viewing the world in front of me for instance, when I see a wheelchair I need to accept that it is hope for the person in it and not something that I should be sad over. That person could no longer do something and needed to find a solution... a wheelchair, a gift! Perhaps in the past I saw a wheelchair as an enemy, a symbol of something lost. Perhaps it inspired my pity. But no longer. Now I see hope, calm, solution and independence. Now I see the gift of life.