Let's make 75% our goal...

And a LOT has happened since I was here last. It's been a crazy two months! We've been VERY busy. We've moved into a MUCH better place (THANK GOD because our old apartment had been outgrown years ago but medical expenses had kept us there anyway). Moving takes up a LOT of time & energy & I'm honestly still AMAZED that I made it through it all :)

I've been reminded over & over about something my last physical therapist June told me. I had said something about being overwhelmed & sad that I was realizing I'd never get to 100% again. She told me "Let's make %75 our goal, then you won't be so discouraged. Honestly 100% just isn't going to happen short of a miracle. And you know I do believe in them too, though!"

She was an AMAZING PT. Absolutely amazing. She pushed me, yet gently. And we just CONNECTED. I will ALWAYS have very fond memories of our sessions & the conversations we had too. I told a friend of mine that she was not only my physical therapist but my mental therapist as well. And that was completely accurate.

I still do the exercises she taught me (okay, not EVERY day - but as many as I can & remember to do so). She was logical about healing, which I'd never really been honestly. I'd never let myself even consider 100% wasn't the goal or give myself credit for the small progresses I WAS making.

The reason I quit seeing her had NOTHING to do with us being done with our sessions. It was because June had very serious tragedy touch her life in December. Her husband (who was the swim coach of the university team in our town) was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. These people had all the best resources in the world at their fingertips with their connections, yet after traveling all over the globe the diagnosis remained the same & after Richard passed away in June. Ironic that his wife's name is June?

*sigh*

I miss her & I think of her often. Her words STILL inspire me. But when such stark tragedy strikes someone it paralyzes others. Why is it so hard to reach out to those who are in dire need? Why? I don't understand it, but I know it's the truth. I know it first hand because I've had many incidences where my friends & even family just could NOT even deal with the reality of me being sick. There were MONTHS where I didn't even hear from my own younger brother because he just could not grasp the idea of me having Lupus. And I thought about him every day. I took it personally for a while when I shouldn't have, but it's SO easy to become self absorbed when you are in the midst of an illness. I've learned this lesson & how not to do this now I'm happy to say.

The point of this blog is to say this... REACH OUT!!!! Don't be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Just BEING there, making that phone call, writing an email, sending that "thinking of you" card might be the thing that keeps your friend or loved one going that day. You can never know just how much difference that one small gesture can make, but I can promise you it's HUGE.

Keep on keepin' on, SURVIVORS :)