Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Week Can Seem Like A Lifetime

It is one of those things you can never quite fathom.  Where has the last week gone?  We put up the normal responses and these days the common one seems to be that the pace of life is such that we don't have time to ourselves to stop and think.


To some degree, I agree with that, but since my illness, I tend to look at things slightly differently - every day is now actually rather precious and a bonus.  So, I'm working from home at the moment and therefore somewhat masked from this cursed pace of life argument, yet I still struggle to account for the last two or three days, let alone the last seven of them.


Is there a solution to this, or does it really matter?  I think it does as we owe it to ourselves to ensure we have a series of checks and balances in our lives that help to ensure our sanity, happiness and longevity (something else I no longer take for granted).  I'm sure if I had a pre-packaged solution, I'd be very rich about now, although not necessarily happy.


So why raise this if I don't have an answer.  As we enter the festive season, it gives us an opportunity to thank and/or acknowledge those around us for simply being there.  I believe that our extended circle of family and friends are instrumental in helping us keep our balance in life.  Bouncing things off them and sharing in their problems helps us to find outlets for some of our own issues.  Equally, their support makes some of our own serious issues seem manageable.  We're all living day by day and as the recent tragedy at Pike River once again showed, you never know when today will be your last.


To a large extent, I've faced many demons this year, and I know that thanks to my "circle of influence", I've been one of the lucky ones to come out the other side.  Without this unquestioning support, my battle would have been an awful lot more daunting.  Without their humour, it would have been easy to feel very sorry for myself and surrender, as opposed to maintaining the all important PMA. We've all watched how a country got behind the Pike River families, but do we ever stop to think how lucky we are ourselves with our own support networks?


All I ask is we take a moment to think about those nearest and dearest to us.  I've learned a number of things this year and the one thing that sticks most in my mind is the way people just rise to a challenge and offer their help and support without question.  I don't think I'm alone here.  None of us could survive without our support crews, so let's make sure we take the time to acknowledge it to both ourselves and them.  As I've learnt, you never know when you're going to need it.


One thing I do know that has happened this week, is my diet has changed.  While minced meat was the previous preferred option, I now find that it sticks in my throat easily because it is effectively such small pieces.  so, I now cook/eat normal "cuts" of meat and cut it up and chew it normally.  This doesn't seem to stick in my throat as much, but it still takes a long time to finish a meal.


I've also found a cure to my chocolate cravings - M&M's.  They're small enough that a quick bite is sufficient to make them manageable and after 4 or so, I'm feeling satisfied and the small quantity means they don't gum up in my mouth.

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