Saturday 25 June 2016

The Power Of Positive Thinking

It's another one of those mornings this mornings, those mornings where I feel good, where I feel like I might actually be getting better, where I feel stronger than the day before. I know there are days like this, days when ALS is taking a break. It's not giving up, just as I am not giving up, but for today, I am doing well.

Part of this is because Katherine is home; there is no doubt in my mind of this. When she is around, I am happier, I laugh more, I eat better, I sleep better. By here mere actions she can draw a smile from me, make me feel lighter, better. I felt so well this morning that I made a massive Steak and Egg Breakfast for the both of us, with hashbrowns too!

I have never been one of these "Power of Positive Thinking" guys. It seems pretty clear to me that positive thinking will not defeat ALS, just as it cannot defeat cancer or a broken leg. On the other hand, a good mental attitude will help a great deal in handling what life gives you, even if that includes a nasty disease. A light heart will not stop the encroaching muscle loss, but it will make me feel more powerful today, for the moment.

For the moment, that's the trick. If there is anything I know about feeling good, it's that it is a thing of the present, a thing of this moment. I cannot use my happiness to make me feel good a week from now. I cannot bank my emotional strength. It has to be used today, right now, to enjoy this time and place. Tomorrow it will be up to my body and my emotions to build, once again, that happy feeling which in me resides now.

I do not believe I can "Think And Grow Rich". I do not believe that mere thought can change my life. What it really changes is the way I approach my life, how I feel about living. When I am in a good frame of mind, ALS seems a mere inconvenience. Then action is necessary. That's how I feel today; good, and ready for action.

1 comment:

  1. So wonderful! I copied parts of this to read to my "living lightly with chronic illness" group!! Thank you!!

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