“Only as high as I can reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be. ” ~Karen Ravn
Time does fly – on turbo jets! I have not entered a blog post since summer. Now I understand the facebook picture circulating of me as a missing person…
AWOL – absence without leave. My body (bunkmate), left my life over two decades ago taking with it unhindered mobility, physical freedom, unlimited choices. I was abandoned in the “you will never get out” boot camp of chronic illness – alone with (hushed whisper), Drill Sgt. Stiff Person Syndrome and Lt. Diabetes.
Somehow I adjust or take my licks, but I am still a defiant recruit. With Sgt. SPS, you never want to hear “drop and give me…” or “move it!” I am still learning about Sgt. SPS, his prominent role in my life, and boundaries. With determination, response to meds, effort, and time, I am given precious furloughs - ”me” time. Boundaries can sometimes be breached in quirky creative ways.
In 2010, I opted for intensive training, a two-year introspection/restructuring of my life… equal to the grueling Navy Seal “Hell Week.” I worked on my mind, healing my spirit, challenging my body. This year, my furloughs have been diverse and far-reaching. Time has gotten away from me, but not life.
From travels to Tampa and Savannah, Blue Ridge Mountains to the Rockies, Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, most included family and friends. Gym workouts, community classes, church, scavenger shopping, dinner outings, and various misadventures – correlated around my demanding medical schedule – captured by life.
With a blessed heart, I realized a dream – worth the fall, fatigue, re-energized arm neuropathy, and aching muscles… 2012 - my “tween” year. So… my email is a dusty pile, my syndrome advocacy has stalled, and my blogs have been neglected because I have been MIA – missing in action.
In times of restful silence, my thoughts (and aches), view my Christmas tree with future dreams and reflective gratitude… “in spite of.”
Copyright © 2012
