The Gift That Keeps On Giving

When you are living with multiple sclerosis, life is difficult. That is an acknowledgment of the obvious. Those of us in this situation are well aware of its downfalls. Varying symptoms and pain can be a way of life. Not knowing how we are going to feel from day to day, hour to hour, takes an emotional toll.

When you have to change how you live, you can become overly stressed. The patterns and habits established over a lifetime, no matter how long it is, are hard to change. Not being able to conduct your social life in the same way, can lead to losing friends and fun opportunities. Because of these difficulties, people living with MS are challenged to reorient our perspectives. I took the challenge and I am glad.

Living up to the challenge

I am not the sort of person who partakes in popular challenges. People who know me know better than to forward emails or tag me on social media if the subject is some sort of challenge. Even if the purpose is for greater awareness, you will not see me dumping a bucket of anything over my head or asking friends to do anything like that. This is not a dig or criticism of those things! It is just that I do not socialize in that way. For the most part.

One challenge that I did take, was to think about the good things in my life. Similar to gratitude journals, listing positive things can be a way of shifting one’s perspective. I liked that it was a personal, private challenge. So, I took the challenge to list the things that were good in my life. Many of those “things” on my list were friends. It was then that I realized that so many of the people I listed were friends I made because of multiple sclerosis.

My gifts from MS

The realization that multiple sclerosis brought good things in my life was not a new one. I have made it clear in many instances and forums that multiple sclerosis had a positive impact. When I finally took the time to think about it, I knew that MS had indeed given me gifts.

Friends

Friends, a greater purpose, and almost limitless compassion were just three things that I could call gifts. I am fortunate to have made friends because of MS. These are kind, giving people who are also either living with MS or advocating for us. I have been able to forge close relationships with people who understand this chronic illness in a way that my other friends cannot.

Purpose

Along with good friends, multiple sclerosis gave me a greater purpose in my life. Standing up as an advocate and being visible as a person living with MS is an essential part of my identity now. I am lucky that my voice is being heard and I hope my work has had, and is having, a motivating effect.

Compassion

Most important to me is my limitless compassion for others facing health challenges. Before I had multiple sclerosis I made it a point to be nice to other people. I like being nice! From family and friends, I knew the challenges that come with less than perfect health. However, I found a greater depth of empathy for those living with a chronic illness. I now completely understand the pain that is both physical and emotional. That gift of insight only came from my MS diagnosis.

Gifts are not universal

As a super fat woman, I can tell you from experience that one size does not fit all. Much like clothing, the gifts that I have received from multiple sclerosis are definitely not universal! To believe that everyone can simply list good things around multiple sclerosis is to be completely unfair. MS is a chronic illness that affects every single person differently. As the saying goes, if you meet a person with MS you’ve met one person with MS. The idea is that you cannot take one person’s experience and apply it to everyone.

My listing of the gifts I received from multiple sclerosis is not meant to be a challenge. I am not challenging you to look around and be grateful for MS. Am I happy I have multiple sclerosis? NO!!! Am I doing my best to navigate this chronic illness? Yes! My only point in sharing that friends, purpose, and greater insight have been gifts, is only that. I was offered the chance to look at having MS through a different lens and I took it. Will I now participate in other sorts of challenges? Probably not. But I have learned to be open-minded enough to rethink my thinking about living with multiple sclerosis.