My dog is pretty funny and very smart (just like everyone else's). He did something today that got me thinking. The plumbers arrived early this morning to fix a leak. Rusty loves to greet people at the door, but he's more like Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, than a dog. He bounces and prances and twirls and runs in circles. He just wants to show anyone who comes through that front door that he couldn't be any happier to see them. These poor plumber-guys just wanted to get their work done and they were going to be going in and out, so I put Rusty in the sunroom and just closed the screen door. He could see us and hear us, but he wasn't with us. It amazes me that he didn't go right through the screen because he was really motivated to go say hi. Even though he could push through in a flash, he saw the barrier in front of him and he settled right down. He was calm and relaxed and he seemed to be enjoying himself just hanging out.
I don't want to live my life like I've got a screen door in front of me and become resigned and just sit down and give up. One of the big themes in dealing with fibro is not to push past a point where energy is depleted. But how do I know what that point is? I want to be like Tigger - all bouncy and enthusiastic about life. I want to be like Rusty who shows his pleasure at being with people. I also want to accept where I am and not push it, the way Rusty did by settling down and chilling out. Yesterday I went to work, ran a couple of errands and stopped in at my daughter's on the way home. Why didn't that knock me out when other days all I can do is get back and forth to the couch after I've made a cup of tea? Even though Rusty got to be okay with the screen door closed, he really did have a barrier in front of him. I gave him a stay command and that worked. Is that what my fibro does? I was nice to Rusty when I gave a command - but fibro isn't so nice to me! Fibro commands, demands and reprimands if I do not give it what it needs. Problem is, the needs change daily and sometimes even hourly. Finding just the right balance of doing and resting remains a challenge for me.
I met a woman recently who said she had fibro. I said I was sorry to hear that. She said, "Don't be. I refuse to give into it and I just live my life the way I want to. You just have to pretend you don't have it." Wow. Really? If only I could. I thought about that comment for a long time and when I get those pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps-and-soldier-on comments I want to spit! Are you kidding me? Every day I make my choices hoping I am striking the right balance so I can enjoy life and feel productive. Rusty sat next to that closed screen door and accepted that he couldn't move through it. He was relaxed and happy being out on the porch and he wasn't begging to come in. Would he rather have been with me and the plumbers - probably. He was calm and quiet but when I opened that door he hurled himself into the room and did his happy dance. That's my model for dealing with fibro. Realize that some days I may have a barrier, but I can be at peace when I'm down. But when I'm up - go at life with gusto and see where that takes me. And on my way, I'll be a little bit of Tigger, a bit of Rusty and a whole lot of me!
I don't want to live my life like I've got a screen door in front of me and become resigned and just sit down and give up. One of the big themes in dealing with fibro is not to push past a point where energy is depleted. But how do I know what that point is? I want to be like Tigger - all bouncy and enthusiastic about life. I want to be like Rusty who shows his pleasure at being with people. I also want to accept where I am and not push it, the way Rusty did by settling down and chilling out. Yesterday I went to work, ran a couple of errands and stopped in at my daughter's on the way home. Why didn't that knock me out when other days all I can do is get back and forth to the couch after I've made a cup of tea? Even though Rusty got to be okay with the screen door closed, he really did have a barrier in front of him. I gave him a stay command and that worked. Is that what my fibro does? I was nice to Rusty when I gave a command - but fibro isn't so nice to me! Fibro commands, demands and reprimands if I do not give it what it needs. Problem is, the needs change daily and sometimes even hourly. Finding just the right balance of doing and resting remains a challenge for me.
I met a woman recently who said she had fibro. I said I was sorry to hear that. She said, "Don't be. I refuse to give into it and I just live my life the way I want to. You just have to pretend you don't have it." Wow. Really? If only I could. I thought about that comment for a long time and when I get those pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps-and-soldier-on comments I want to spit! Are you kidding me? Every day I make my choices hoping I am striking the right balance so I can enjoy life and feel productive. Rusty sat next to that closed screen door and accepted that he couldn't move through it. He was relaxed and happy being out on the porch and he wasn't begging to come in. Would he rather have been with me and the plumbers - probably. He was calm and quiet but when I opened that door he hurled himself into the room and did his happy dance. That's my model for dealing with fibro. Realize that some days I may have a barrier, but I can be at peace when I'm down. But when I'm up - go at life with gusto and see where that takes me. And on my way, I'll be a little bit of Tigger, a bit of Rusty and a whole lot of me!
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