IT’S SPRING – IN KANSAS

 

By Cathy Finney

 

 

  IT'S SPRING ~IN "KANSAS"

        IT'S TIME TO CLEAN UP ~ CLEAR OUT

              IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE!


    It's that glorious time of year when the earth comes alive. Mother
Nature's paintbrush is working overtime  to deliver its beauty and grandeur.
I love this time of year. It's as if the landscape is waking up, looking
forward to a new beginning. It's in a hurry as it rushes to meet the new day.
Me too. Each and everyday I can't wait to get started!
    I'm spring cleaning my closets. I'm getting rid of the clutter physically
and mentally. I'm dusting off and throwing out any negativity and any "down"
vibes that have been piling up over the long, cold winter months. Out with
the "cold," in with the new. I'm creating a  bright fresh version of today
and all the tomorrows.
    I don't want this to sound like I'm Polyanna dwelling in Oz. That is the
LAST thing that I want to convey. My feet and my brain are planted firmly in
"Kansas." There were days in the beginning I was so scared. I didn't know
what was going to be happening to me tomorrow. THAT thought, THAT "unknown,"
scared me to death. I was terrified, and then it hit me. THAT fear has
nothing to do with having MS. THAT fear has nothing to do with my immune
system and those "white spots." THAT fear, the "fear" of the "not knowing"
what tomorrow will bring is called "LIFE!" IT has nothing to do with disease,
it has EVERYTHING to do with "living." So I decided, I was going to live MY
life, really live. I was determined to thrive, not JUST survive! It's about
making a decision. It's about taking a stand. I made a choice. YOU have a
choice. YOU choose.
    In the May issue of "Woman's Day," four courageous women are profiled.
The article is titled, "Triumph over Tragedy." They CHOSE to "thrive." THAT
is exactly what they did! They each fought their own battles and WON! Here
are some of the reasons why:



        "In some ways my disability has been the greatest blessing of my
life. It's taught me about what people are made of. Regardless of what
happens to you, we have a choice of what we're going to do with it."

        "When one door closes, another one opens. We just have to make sure
we're not so busy feeling sorry for ourselves and what's happened that we're
not looking for that other door."

        "During my stay in the hospital, I saw that there were two kinds of
patients:  those  who focus mostly on what they have lost and are angry and
frustrated, and those who focus primarily on what they have left and are
grateful.Those who can look on the bright side are happier and do better."

        "I CAN DO IT!"

    These remarkable women chose to fight. They chose not JUST to survive,
they chose to thrive!

    How about you?

     What choices HAVE you made?
   
    What choices ARE you making.

    As my client's little grandaughter pointed out, "What's your choice? 
Happy or sad!"  YOU CHOOSE!
 

    THINK ABOUT . . .

        If someone told me I could "give"  back this disease.
        Would I do it?
       
        You bet I would ~ in a heartbeat.

        But, if someone told me  I could "take" it back, meaning that I had
never, ever had it.
        Would I do THAT?


    To THAT question I would answer emphatically, "NO! I would not "take" it
back."


    My life has changed dramatically in the years since I was "officially"
diagnosed. I have grown in ways I never imagined possible.
 
     I'm an A+ personality. I always had to prove to myself and others,
especially, that I was worthy, that I was good enough. Deep down inside I
believed I could never "measure up." So for that reason, I was always
"dancing as fast as I could" to prove myself. It didn't work. I always felt I
was lacking, and needed alot of work in SOME area. The insecurties are still
there, but they are no longer what I'm all ABOUT.
     Life has taken on a whole new meaning. I've "slowed  down."  As the  book
 "Timeshifting"  says, "You have to slow down to show up."  That's me! I'm
showing up! In a good way. I'm on a mission. I'm reaching out. After all,
we're all in this together, and together WE CAN accomplish anything.

    If I didn't have MS I never would have met the wonderful people that I
now call my friends. The members of my support group, all of you who have
written to me, Dr. Yanofsky, Bernie Siegel, and people that I've met through
the MS society, locally and nationally. The list just goes on and on. I am so
blessed. I only meet the worlds' greatest "humans!" It's true! I do. They
are! You are! Each and everyday  I become "connected" with more and more
terrific people who I now call "friend." Yea, I AM blessed.
   
    A whole new world has opened up to me. I'm studying the teachings of
Buddhist monks. My favorite is Thich Nhat Hanh. He teaches "mindfulness," and
"living in the moment" ~ every moment:
        "When we live in the moment it is easy to see miracles everywhere."
   
    Hey, I'm even meditating! Me of all the people on the planet!


   

    I'm reading the poetry of Rumi who was born in 1534:

    "The world grows green again, and runs with gardens.
        Jewels from the mines glitter in each tree;
                Souls open
        like suns and link with one another.
    (No wonder this is my favorite season of the year!)

     Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Sark, Dr. Herbert Benson, and the
Dalai Lama are just a few of the many authors  taking over the bookshelves in
my office. I never knew these people or philosophies existed. I was so busy
"doing" that I didn't realize everything and everyone that I was missing. I'm
exploring new worlds. I am going to wonderful places. Spiritually,
intellectually, and emotionally, I am growing in ways I never thought
possible. What an exciting journey. My life has truly become an adventure.
Some days it's a little rockier than others ~ but an adventure just the same!

     Each day I set "mini-goals" for myself. Tasks that I "must" accomplish ~
TODAY.  I achieve more each day NOW, then ever before. Someone tried to tell
me that "I," "me," "my life," would now be limited.  Bet me! You see, I am
not "limited." I do however, have to "pace" myself. There is a HUGE
difference between being "limited" and "pacing" yourself. It's all in how you
"CHOOSE" to look at it. IT  IS all up to YOU!


    Would I "take" these experiences back??? NO WAY!

    I feel that today I am on my way to becoming a better person. I have such
a long way to go, but I'm learning and growing everyday. I am "thriving" in
"Kansas!"


    Christopher Reeve says it best,

        "I gradually stopped wondering, what life do I have?
        Instead, I began to consider, what life can I build?"




    How about you?


    "Would you "take"   it back?"

        Think about it ~


    "WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?"
   


    Let me hear from you. Contact me at SOAR303@aol.com.

 

 

 

Back to www.pneuro.com

 

 

By Cathy Finney