Attitude of Gratitude

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:33 am

All,

As MS progresses, it can definitely bring out the dark thoughts. The gloomy outlook, hard to find a purpose, we all know the drill. As things get worse it is unavoidable to not have these thoughts. As I try and think about "how in the hell am I going to keep my chin up as my health goes down?", I am really wanting to try someting. I want to try and throw one thing out every day, or most days anyway, that put a smile on my face. I'm not in despair, and I don't want to be. I'm catching glimpses, and am so scared of it that I want to try drastically different things to find hope and purpose than I have ever tried before. I know this is very "Oprah", but hey, love her or hate her, she tries like hell to figure out ways for people to love life and appreciate things. Regardless, I'm starting this thread to try and bring one uplifting thing about my life to the top every day, even if it's only for the period of time it took to write it, so here goes:

My knees hurt like hell today and I'm very upset about that because it's keeping me from walking much.

However, I'm so very thankful that my adolescent daughter really appears to be "taking the high road" and is really turning out to be a very likeable individual. For that, I am thankful today. How our kids turn out, I feel, is a huge reflection of how they were raised, and I'm feeling pretty good about the job we've done so far. Being a teenager, I know that could change by tomorrow

, but I'm thankful for that today and will try to draw positive energy from that if I start to have a pity party for myself today.

Damn that felt good and, at least for now, I feel good about the prospects of having a good day; not a bad one!

catfreak · Post by **catfreak** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:27 pm

WOW! Very deep. Cool.

CF

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:41 am

My knees still hurt like hell today. BUT, I'm grateful that I have more than just news channels. This is because if I watch one more minute of cable news, my head is going to explode. So today I'm grateful for ESPN!! Very flip I kow, but lord the news right now would put Mr. Rodgers in a funk

. So I will opt for Bravo, ESPN and my Reds on the radio today because all the news on the economy is making me crazy.

catfreak · Post by **catfreak** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:55 am

Amen Lew!

It is Rebif shot day for me and even though I am going to feel like pure crap today and tomorrow and am so thankful that I work at home and no one has to look at me and ask me if I am OK!

Oh yeah, I too am thankful for ESPN.

CF

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:30 am

Today I'm thankful for all my friends. We are going over to a friend's house this evening. While I don't look forward to what this will take out of me (I'm starting to look at EVERYTHING that way), I'm grateful for having understanding friends that never try to make me do something I don't want to, even though they might not understand why I can't.

I'm also grateful that I'm still functional enough to leave the house and hang out socially with people.

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:13 pm

Really liking this, Lew.
Hope you had fun with your buds this weekend-
AC

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:38 am

Had lots of calm fun. We went to see a friend of ours whose son just had a fracture at C1 and C2; he broke his freaking neck!! So he's in a halo and adjusting, so it was good, calm fun just hanging out.

New week here we come. Today I am simply grateful that I can get around. The knees are just trying to suck me down, but I still need to do what I can do, so every step I take today I will remind myself that it could be worse and I'm grateful for my mobility. It's hard to be grateful for something you feel may be fading, but I don't know another way to try and enjoy it, instead of prematurely mourn it!

catfreak · Post by **catfreak** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:52 pm

I have had a really bad day. Rebif days are always the worst. Normally by Monday I have gotten over my saturday after rebif on M/W/F. Not this week, I am feeling completely cruddy,...on Monday and had to take another shot today.

On the flip side of this, my husband took me to the Animal Rescue Shelter to find another cat for your household. we picked out a sweet little boy about 5 months old that looks somewhat like pepper did. I am very thankful for this husband of mine who know who to get me out of a funk so fast.

Not sure what his name will be. I have a few Chase, Flash and Sparky.

Let me know what you think about names and let's thank Lew for srarting this thread.

CF

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:25 am

Gotta' be Flash for my vote. I have two cats; Phil and Salem. One from SICSA and one just came out of the woods and adopted us (Phil). Salem is a skittish little shit (part siamese, but all black in appearance) that is scared to death of me for some reason. Phil on the other hand will crawl up on you, no matter who you are, and plop in your lap. He is completely nuts. Craziest damn cat I've ever seen. He freaks out multiple times a day and runs through the house making this crazy noise and terrorizes both my Labrador and the other cat. I think he may be a bit "touched"

So today I'm grateful that I have my wonderful pets (well 2 of them anyway

) that always remind me that I'm not all that and can pull me out of self centerdness faster than any human. I don't think they care about MS!! My dog is defintely an empath though. When I'm feeling bad, this dog will seek me out and force some interaction. She is the best pet I've ever had. Never trained her for a minute, but she does everything we ask; everytime. I've never seen a dog mind like this one. She is just the most submissive, ready to please creature of all time. She won't even stomp Phil when he's got his claws in her neck and is yelping. Pookah the wonderdog, what a great friend.

robbie · Post by **robbie** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:42 am

When people say oh it’s just a dog and I see things like this I really wonder! I am without words to express how grateful I am for my friend Laker.

Post by **jimmylegs** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:44 am

owwwwwwwww stop it that made me cry

Artifishual · Post by **Artifishual** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:18 am

OMGosh robbie that was great! thank you

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:29 am

Thanks so much, Robbie...so beautiful. Unbelievable.
I know animals have real empathy. Our Angel sits with her head on Jeff's lap at the end of the day, when he's hurting most. She just stops whatever she's doing to sit with her master and let him know she's there for him.
still teary,
AC

catfreak · Post by **catfreak** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:29 pm

FLASH it is!!! He is sleeping in my lap as we speak.

I have been running a low grade fever all day. One of the lovely side effects of Rebif that I hate.

But, I am so appreciative of the people here who listen when I babble on and on. Thank You!!

CF

Post by **jimmylegs** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:52 pm

hey cf i lost my cat three times, for ages each time, but she always makes it back, so can't hurt to keep your fingers crossed.
one time a senile neighbour decided she was his long lost male cat and when he finally let her out she came home wearing a new collar with the name "striker" and the number to call. i pointed out that she was in fact female and had her ID tattoo in her ear.
another time, different apartment, the landlord came to mow the lawn and she went in the shed and got locked in. i searched for her and called for i think something like 10 days before i finally heard an answering call from the shed. by then she was 2-dimensional but she fattened up fast.
then when i was staying with my friend mo, who had an evil beast named c'mere, i begged her not to leave the windows open but she did and bam, my cat took off to escape that ginger SOB. three weeks later someone in the neighbourhood finally noticed one of my signs and said she always fed the alley cats and mine had been in the bunch for a while now.
here's hopin your kitty finds the way home too!