What I CAN Do!

When you have any kind of illness it can be easy to get sucked into thinking about what you "can't" do anymore. "Ooooo, I USED to be able to (blank) but now I CAN'T!!" This kind of thinking isn't useful in any way. In fact it's a very slippery slope that leads to serious depression. 

I had an appointment yesterday with a new neurologist that went fantastic (more on that here). But medical appointments are also always fixated on what I can't do, what's wrong with me, what's causing me distress with my body. 

So to counteract that I give you a short list of what I CAN still do that brings me a lot of joy.

Even though I can't drive anymore, I CAN use Dory (my giant wheelchair) to travel my town independently. I'm very lucky to live in an accessible town and I love zooming as fast as I can in the bike lane all on my own. I meet family or friends this way, run a quick errand or walk my dog. 

I can't cook as much as I used to, but I can use my kitchen stool to cook more simple things, especially for lunch. Here I'm making spaghetti squash with chicken sausage for my mom for lunch. And even though my husband usually makes dinner I can still help.

I don't think there will ever come a time where I'm unable to shop, even if it's just online. I can still manage shopping just fine. Shopping gives me a sense of control over my environment (getting to pick out new things) and makes me happy. I just have to be sure not splurge too often.

I can still laugh and laugh LOUD! My son says I have two laughs, Marge Simpson and an evil witch cackle. I love it. And I love to make other people laugh. Laughter is contagious and super good for you. I hope I will always be able to laugh.

This is a really big one that I don't take for granted. I can still independently dress myself top to bottom. I do little tricks to make it easier (like don't always wear a bra), but I can still get the job done and look pretty darn good.

I can also still:

• write with my hand
• use a computer
• see
• taste
• breathe
• sleep in my bed
• have sex
• read
• bathe on my own
• play with my dog
• stretch
• clean the house a little bit
• do laundry
• walk around my house unaided
  (I love having such a small house!)
• feed myself
• kiss
• hug
• do a puzzle
• paint
• talk
• keep a blog