As I read through other blogs during the week, I take note of things that really speak to me, things that inspire me or make me think. I’ve been trying to share some of those here with you guys, as this Sunday Inspiration series. I hope you find some inspiration here as well. Please be to visit the sites linked below. While I shared a small quote from each that inspired me, there is so much more to each of these posts than just the quoted portion.
“Such truth, and we can learn so much about present awareness just by making our fluffy companions the focus of our attention… and, thus, zoning into the moment. Depending on their schedule and assuming they have free time for a massage, lovingly stroking a kitty is a perfect portal to a wrap-around experiment in mindfulness.” – A Cat’s Guide to Coping With Grief
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| My dearly departed fat cat, DOG. |
Grief is something those of us with chronic illness deal with over and over again. We not only grieve the loss of things around us, but of ourselves. Our lives are constantly changing, and we are constantly adjusting and grieving that adjustment. I still remember a few years ago when I was at the worst point with my Fibro and I had to put my cat down. I remember how much it hurt. While I saw my other two cats change in various ways without DOG’s presence, I never really stopped to think about how they may have grieved (or not) his loss. It always seemed more like they were there to comfort me.
“If you focus on negative things, you’re more likely to have a negative life. If, on the other hand, you choose to focus on positive things, your life can become positive beyond your wildest imagination. ” – A Negative Mind Will Never Give You A Positive Life.
I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about “Mindfulness” lately. The idea that what we think about becomes our reality. If all we focus on is our pain then we experience more pain. It’s called hyper-vigilance. In being more aware of the things that cause us pain, our alarm bells often go off before it ever happens. It reminds me of two little kids and the one is “not touching” the other, but the one being “not touched” is still reacting as if someone is poking them. That’s how we act towards painful stimuli.
“14 pills a day isn’t ideal, but I’m worth trying every option. You are too. Keep breathing. ” – 2 Years Ago
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| via Flickr |
EVERY option! Not just the easy ones, or the ones the doctor pushes, but EVERY option. We are worth it. The Bloggess is practically a household name on the internet, and while she is typically humorous we rarely stop to think about how inspiring she is. Like most reading this she suffers from (multiple) chronic invisible illness. She rarely talks about that on her blog, but occasionally will mention it in passing. This post was one of the few that really hit on that topic, and she said something towards the end that really jumped out at me.
Without pain, how would we recognize pleasure? Without sorrow, how would we know joy? Finally, without the destruction of the old, there would be no room in our lives for the new. Without the most painful experiences of my life, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. “ – Halloween, Memories, and Gratitude
It’s really difficult to be grateful for being sick, even more so when you are in the midst of pain. However, I can personally attest to the fact that the pain really does make the pain-free days that much sweeter. That the days when I can’t get out makes me appreciate the days when I can that much more. That having my husband do kind things for me because he sees how bad I feel really makes me appreciate him that much more. The days when I feel good I often tend to take things for granted. The longer I go without a bad day the easier it becomes to do just that. However, as I’ve had more and more of the good days, I no longer get upset about the bad days (at least not as much), I look at them as a reminder that perhaps I’ve been taking the ease of life for granted.
“ The truth is that most of the time it’s not about you. Everyone has their own issues to deal with. The odds are excellent that you’re not the cause of someone else’s mood or behavior. ” – The 7 Habits of Serenity
I’m really working on learning this. How self-centered I’m realizing that I am. Someone cuts me off while driving and it must be personal. Someone doesn’t return my smile, it must be personal. What did I do wrong? I always find some way to blame myself and make everything about me, when the truth is that it’s rarely ever about me.
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