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The Good, The Bad, and The Interesting

The Good: I got a phone call early this morning from the lady organizing the trip to Alaska. As promised, she had been in touch with the travel agency, and to my relief, they said it was no problem if I wanted to fly out the day before the ship sailed instead of the same day. She said I could think about it and give her an answer later as they don’t send tickets until about 10 days before the trip.

I don’t have to think about it, not for an instant. For me, that’s the way to go. I would much rather have to find my own way from motel to ship, and have some time to recover from the plane ride, plus not have to worry so much about missed connections. It would be well worth that little extra I have to do on my own.

She went on to say she wishes she could do the same, but since she’s tour guide, she has to go with the group, and the group will probably leave EARLY the same day the ship sails. They have a 2-hour drive to the airport, and of course you have to get there an hour before your flight, so they’ll probably be leaving in the wee hours of the morning.

More Good, then the Bad: Feeling a little better plus knowing Jonathan didn’t have to be to work until late afternoon, I figured today would be a good time to work some more on the basement. We spent some time in the office, clearing off the table, sorting through stuff, sweeping and otherwise straightening up. Jonathan has his computer there, and I wanted the table to set up my light tent for photographing items to sell on eBay.

Of course there’s a price to pay for all that activity, and that’s where I am now. There’s always some give and take; mostly I give, and the pain takes. Which brings me to…

The Interesting: One of the moderators on a chronic pain list I belong to sent a link to a story on living with a chronic condition. The lady who wrote the story has Lupus, but what she had to say would hold true for anyone with a chronic illness, including chronic pain.

It seems one of her friends asked her what it was like to “be sick” all the time. Her reply is positively one of the BEST explanations I have read of what day to day life is like for someone with a chronic condition.

I hope you’ll read it. If you have a chronic condition, live with someone who does, or just know someone who does, it is well worth the time. Even if you don’t know someone right now who has a chronic condition, the odds are high at some point you will. It may even be YOU. This story will broaden your understanding, and hopefully your empathy for people who must live their life by making more choices each and every day than a healthy person even thinks about.

It’s a little longer than the usual quickie essay, but ”The Spoon Theory” is worth every minute of the time it takes to read it. Thought provoking, enlightening… please, just read it.

I really think you or someone you know will be glad you did.

1 comments:

hmmm....I just read "The Spoon Theory" and it does help with understanding a tiny portion of what you life is like. I'm thankful you share your spoons with me and I have no complaints about driving to see you. RR