LJ Idol Season 7 Week 16 - Be Like a Bird

[walkertxkitty]

o/` " Be like a bird, who, halting in her flight
On a limb too slight, feels it give way beneath her;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings. o/`

-- "Be Like a Bird" performed by Libana, adapted from the poem by Victor Hugo

Comments

[ecosopher]

Absolutely you are not your disease - I can still imagine, that sometimes it's hard to make that conscious decision not to be though. But you're right, everyone lives with limits, whatever they are. Some people have more than others, all limits are different. I can understand the sentiment behind the quote, but I can also see how it could enable one to feel duped by one's health situation.

Man, does this even make sense? I was feeling much more eloquent last night but my internet dropped out and now my head's all foggy! What I really wanted to say is, I thought it was a very well written entry and I enjoyed it :D

[walkertxkitty]

It's something I struggle with on a daily basis. Sometimes I don't judge rightly and I overextend myself; other times I get dissatisfied and wonder if I could have done more or if I'm just making excuses.

Right now, I'm taking my limits on a day to day basis and working on things I can do rather than thinking about the things I can't do.

And yup...it makes sense.

As always, thank you for taking the time to comment and read. I appreciate it!

[nyxocity]

I really like this. It IS powerful food for thought.

[walkertxkitty]

For some reason, I haven't been doing much thinking but I've been doing a lot of excuse making. I am now trying to alter my behavior to find things I can do or new ways to do things so that I don't become just a list of diagnoses.

I'll admit it's rather frustrating, but I'm hoping to make progress on that front. I know my loved ones don't see me that way, but sometimes it's hard not to see myself as just a collection of disabilities.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Of course you're not your disease. Unfortunately not everyone can grasp that :shakes head:

[walkertxkitty]

I'll admit, sometimes I have trouble grasping that myself. When I was first diagnosed, I wanted to find support groups. That's how I came upon the Spoon Theory. However, I've quickly found that many of them don't have a very positive attitude about living. Everything revolves around their disease and that's not healthy.

I don't want to be like that. I'd rather find creative ways I can still do the things I like or just pace myself to do the things I'm capable of doing on any given day.

I certainly don't want to end up belittling anyone else's experiences like these people tend to do.

It's a useful tool, but the author and a lot of others like her have let it become a crutch.

[lawchicky]

What a nosy waitress!

[walkertxkitty]

It's a very, very small town so it's not unusual for the serving folk or even the kitchen crew to join a conversation if it interests them. Normally I don't mind but this one got a little too personal.

Just because you can't see a disability --- which was the original point of the Spoon Theory --- doesn't mean it's there. My husband has a host of digestive and metabolic issues as well as dyslexia, depression and ADHD. He just doesn't look as sick as the rest of us most of the time.

[locknkey]

lot's of good points in this - i think the one that struck me besides I am not my disease. mis "It's not as though those circumstances are unique to someone with a chronic condition. When I've been faced with addiction or depression (in myself or others), it's hard to find an example of what healthy looks like. I don't think it is easy to define. Nicely done!

[walkertxkitty]

Thanks!

I've used the Spoon Theory for years to help explain what the disease process is like but over those same years I've realized that it isn't helping.

Everyone has limitations but the difference is, not everyone chooses to live by them or as them. I'm trying to redefine myself so that I don't. It's too easy to say "I can't do this because..."