I’m so excited to be a guest writer today at ChronicBabe! Please check out my post on the pedestal effect, and then check out some of the other great stuff ChronicBabe has to offer.
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“What do you want to be able to do?”
Several years ago I entered physical therapy. This was definitely not my first time in PT, but it was my first time with someone who was able to help. Early on, she asked what my goals were, what I’d like to be able to do in every day life (an excellent approach, by the way.) I had recently become an auntie when my close friend had a baby. My answer was simple: I wanted to be able to hold the baby.
Now, years later, I am an auntie to many more little ones. While I can no longer hold the big ones (they’re getting so big!), I am able to pick 
several of them up briefly, just enough to get one out of a crib and such. I didn’t think I’d be able to do that. And I can hold the babies. Today I held the littlest, not even five months old, and I wasn’t worried. I had some pain, but very little. And when she jerked to the side, as babies like to do, I simply adjusted my grasp. I didn’t worry for a moment about dropping her – that simply wasn’t going to happen.
There are many ways to look at health status. I could look at my inability to work, or my frequent fatigue. I could consider my pain and my frustration. Many days I focus on those things. But today is different. Today I am thinking about holding that precious little girl, how special it is, and how amazing it feels to do something that just a few years ago seemed impossible. There are many things that I want to do in life. For a little bit, while holding that little girl, the rest was all irrelevant.
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Posted by chronicrants
I came across this article in the newspaper this morning, about a local grocery store that is the second in the country to add Braille labels to its shelves. I never noticed the lack of Braille before, but as soon as I saw the headline, I wondered why it’s taken so long to happen.
Braille labels probably seems like a small thing to many people, but for those who need it, it will make a big difference. But then, that’s true of so many things, isn’t it? Audible walk signals at intersections, smooth curb cuts, railings on staircases, ramps…. people who don’t need them just pass right by, but for so many others they make life not only easier, but manageable. It makes me wonder what else we could, and should, be doing. Did you notice that the Braille grocery store labels came about because of a first grader? It’s that young perspective that we all need to have, to question everything, to propose solutions. Maybe we need to get a group of children together to fix the inequities. Either way, we definitely should not settle for the status quo. We need to continue to change things for the better. There’s always room for improvement, so let’s find the most inefficient areas and improve them.
I’m as guilty as anyone of sitting back and letting others do the work. I contribute in small ways, but I haven’t stepped up in a big way, at least not lately. I think it’s time for me. What about you?
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Posted by chronicrants
I’ve always tried to be someone who stops to smell the roses, both literally and figuratively. Maybe that’s why this caught my eye.
As part of my effort to find balance in my life, I just read The 4-House Workweek. Near the end, I came across a poem called Slow Dance. I think it’s worth taking a quick minute to read this. Interpret it as you will. For me, it was a reminder to appreciate what I’ve got now, since I can’t know what’s around the corner. It was a reminder not to get caught up in life’s errands and chores at the expense of the important things.
In this American, middle class society, for many people it is a point of pride to be as busy as possible. But when you’re running around being “busy,” what are you missing out on? I’d rather slow down and appreciate life. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but isn’t it worth it?
I think there are very few positives to my health situation. One of the few is an understanding that the good things may not last and the bad things could get worse (or better) so just in case, it’s important to not take anything for granted. What are you taking for granted now? How can you slow down and appreciate it instead?
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