The Art of Moving Forward

“Golly gee willakers, I’m glad I have MS,” said no one ever, as they went merrily skipping and zip-a-dee-doo-daaing down the street.

MS isn’t one of those things you long to have. It isn’t sexy. There’s nothing cute or fetching about it. It’s indiscriminate, devoid of feeling and strikes at will. And it leaves those whose lives it touches asking the same question: “Why me?”

Why me?!

It’s a question I’ve asked myself at least half a dozen times already in the infantile stage of my diagnosis. I wondered if something in my past was the reason that I was plucked from obscurity and placed in the bucket of diseases with no cure. Was I being punished for the transgressions of my youth?

Could it have been that time that I turned my back on a homeless person with his hand out asking for spare change? Perhaps that day in elementary when I started a fight with a smaller kid after school sealed my fate? Or maybe it was a few months ago when I cursed a driver who cut me off in traffic?

Not dealt a fair hand

We question ourselves, don’t we? We begin to think of life not being fair. We talk of not being dealt a fair hand. We bemoan our existence as we see those around us living full, disease-free lives. We think to ourselves, “I used to be like that once…”. We’re so wrapped up in our sorrow that we often forget to take that step. That one step. Forward. Momentum is a beautiful thing.

How we can move forward

When we wipe away our tears, we can move forward. One step at a time. When we tell ourselves, “I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” we can move forward. When we vow to fight and not give in, we can move forward. When we accept that not every day is going to be a good day, we can move forward. When we acknowledge that it’s okay to cry / shout / scream / hurt / be angry / exhale, we can move forward. When we realize that tomorrow is a new day, we can move forward. When we realize that we are not alone in this, we can move forward.

MS makes life hard. But MS doesn’t make life impossible. Be possible. As a midlife women’s advocate, I’ve always said I’m determined to not just survive but to thrive. I can apply that same mantra to being a midlife woman living with MS as well.

The art of moving forward

I have MS. So what?!? I have spirit, nerve, tenacity, and audacity, too. That for me, in and of itself, is an art form: the art of moving forward.