Be a butterfly soaring in the wind

Do you ever feel weird? Like you are not normal…if there is such a thing? I know I sure do. I tend to think differently than most people. I find humor in just about everything. If you hung out with me, you would find me laughing at dropping my plate full of food on my lap, joking about falling over while sitting to put on my socks, and giggling because I lost my keys for the hundred-millionth time.

At one time I lived life like a caterpillar. The only thing I could see day in and day out was the leaf I was sitting on. My world was small and limited due to multiple sclerosis and I couldn’t see very far. My life was surrounded by troubles that I couldn’t fix and neither could the doctors. I felt helpless and hopeless. Getting around in a powerchair had limited me more than I imagined it would.

But then a transformation happened. It took time and lots of work to shift my focus from my own struggles, but I grew the most amazing and beautiful wings. They changed my life. They lifted me up above my own troubles and helped as I spread my newly found wings as I flew above my circumstances.

I found the world to be much bigger than I had ever imagined. I saw not just my diagnosis with MS, but thousands upon thousands of others just like me getting through the struggle. There were trees and flowers and oceans and mountains. My disability was no longer my focus. There was an entire world to explore and there were people to help.

The other caterpillars on the leaf I started out on didn’t like that I changed. They wanted me to stay a caterpillar but once you find your wings, you can’t go back. I discovered that I liked being weird. I liked the beautiful butterfly I had become. I liked bringing sunshine and smiles to others around the world.

Much like the caterpillar, many times we get stuck in our troubles and struggles and only see life from a small place. We perch on our leaf and see only our pain, frustrations, difficulties and troubles. We convince ourselves that we are comfortable where we are not realizing that there’s so much more to living.

It’s time to become the beautiful butterfly that you are; to spread your wings and fly into the wind; to see life from a place above multiple sclerosis, financial difficulties, relationship problems, pain, and stress on the job. I’m not saying to pretend those things don’t exist, just let your focus shift to find the good around you, even in a chronic disease.

Can you think of one good thing that has happened in your life because of MS? I know you would have no problem coming up with pages of bad, but name something good. For me I would have to say simplifying my life by weeding out the work and people that I didn’t need around me became a good thing. The process was tough, but in the end I found I am much happier because of it. Also, I gained new friendships with people that I never would have met before.

I’m able to spend more time developing my artistic skills through painting and writing even when tremors and fatigue get in the way, and I no longer have to wake up before the sun to the buzzing of an alarm clock. Because of MS I don’t have a need to wake up with an alarm clock since I’m already up before the sun. My alarms are now needed for reminders to not forget something, not morning wakeup calls.

Be thankful for the good. As you do, you will begin to see more and more good around you, and before you know it you are no longer seeing life from the perspective of a tiny leaf, but from the wings of a butterfly soaring in the wind. Be that butterfly!