Surviving, Thriving and LIVING

As a person with chronic illness, I find word phrasing to be an important part of my life.  Some people call me nit-picky, but I really do believe that our wording can have a negative or positive impact on our attitudes, and in turn, on our health.  When I hear someone say, "I suffer from _____," I ask them to try rephrasing their statement to "I live with _____" or "I have _____."  To me, the wording can make all the difference between allowing my illnesses to conquer me, or me conquering my illnesses.  Much like the old Tylenol commercial:  "I have arthritis, but arthritis doesn't have me!"  I have experienced a partial physical healing, but for me, my true healing came when I accepted what was happening inside my body.  I decided to start LIVING rather than, well, dying.  Celebrating life and what I've been given is a much better way to live.  I suppose, in a way, it's my own mission statement.  This is the example I want my children to see me setting for them.

I was reminded of my mission statement twice today in less than five minutes in the grocery store parking lot.  As I pushed my own weary body, kids and overflowing grocery cart uphill through the parking lot, I passed one license plate with the pink breast cancer ribbon that was personalized to announce that not only was the driver a survivor, but pregnant!  As I was marveling over the blessings in that family's life (and yes, smiling through my happy tears for someone I don't even know), another car passed with a wheel cover announcing that the driver is a Lupus survivor.  I did feel compelled to leave a congratulatory note on the first car (from one mommy and survivor of another kind to another), but I couldn't quite muster up the courage to knock on the window of the other car and thank that driver for sharing my viewpoint (the word stalker comes to mind...)!

So, here I am, surviving, thriving and LIVING...  In left field, of course!