Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Perks of Paralysis

Being paralyzed has lots of negative emotional/physical side effects on your mind/body, from things like depression and kidney stones to the relentless nerve pain that is ever present. It's not all bad, though, and there's even a few upsides to paralysis. I'm a firm believer that there are positives to be found in every situation, no matter how bleak. I thought I'd make a little list of some of the perks of paralysis in order to prove my point.
  1. Not ticklish:  I've always hated being tickled. Now that I'm paralyzed I'm no longer ticklish. I actually did a little experiment and I had Chandra tickle my stomach. I could feel her wiggling her fingers on me, but it didn't make me laugh like it would've before I was paralyzed. 
  2. Handicapped parking:  it's so nice to have disabled license plates that allow me to park in handicapped parking. It's close and convenient!
  3. My shoes never get dirty and never wear out:  I only wear shoes if I'm going to in public (which is just once or twice a week), so my shoes don't get a lot of use. I don't walk around, so my shoes stay clean and never get dirty. I could probably wear the same pairs of shoes for the rest of my life if I wanted, but what's the fun in that it?!
  4. Fan mail:  I love, love, LOVE getting emails from people, telling me what they get out of my blog and what they think of specific posts.
  5. The kindness of strangers:  over the past 10 years I've had lots of experiences where perfect strangers have been so kind to me. It's usually something simple like a smile or someone holding a door for me, but it's always very refreshing.
  6. Getting nearly all of my prescription medication for free:  I'm on a bunch of medications and it would cost a pretty penny (hundreds and hundreds of dollars each month) if I had to pay for all of them out of my own pocket. Thank goodness for insurance!
  7. I can spend my days doing what I want:  most days I'm able to stay at home and I have all day to basically do whatever I want (which happens to be using my computer to work on different projects). It's so nice to have the luxury of doing what I want to do and not having to go out and a living. I can spend my time doing the things that bring me joy.
  8. I can buy pretty much whatever I want (and I do!):  I am by no means well off, but I do have everything I need and I'm pretty much able to buy whatever I want without having to worry about how I'm going to afford it. (There's obviously lots of things I'd like that I can't afford, but I know that, so I don't feel like I'm going without, if that makes sense.)
  9. Never having to help with chores:  I'm obviously off the hook when it comes to helping with chores. (Although I would be more than happy to help out if I could, because believe it or not, I've always actually enjoyed cleaning.)
  10. Never getting sore feet:  I never have to worry about my dogs barking anymore since I can't walk/stand. I remember how badly my feet used to hurt after working an eight hour shift where I was on my feet pretty much the entire time. (When I first started working at the movie theater my legs/feet would just ache after standing on a cement floor for hours and hours. Gradually, my feet got more accustomed to standing for long periods of time, but would still hurt at the end of the day.)
I know I'm a "glass half full" type of person, but I think there are positives to be found in every situation, no matter how difficult it is. I think you'll be able to find a few perks in your own challenges/trials if you look at the big picture. And if all else fails, use a little humor and creativity!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your perspective :-) Keep on blogging....

Unknown said...

Heather,

I love your positive spin on things!

Amy said...

Heather,
I love the list of positives that you wrote! I am like you in the sense that I also like to look at the glass half full - although sometimes that can be hard to do. Thank you for the sweet spirit that you share in all of your blog posts. You are an inspiration to many, including me - and I've never even met you!!! I hope you have a fabulous week!!! :)

Unknown said...

Love love your uplifting and inspiring posts ! They make my day please never stop blogging !!

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