The Greatest Lesson I've Ever Learned

This is a subject of which I have become EXTREMELY passionate about. I don't mean for this to be chastising anyone and I don't mean for it to be judgemental at all. I am writing this because it is an extremely valuable lesson that I've learned through watching my wife go through daily torture due to a health condition that she had absolutely zero control over or knowledge about beforehand. I feel like I have learned an amazing thing and I wish it hadn't taken what it did in order for me to learn it. I'm hoping that my wife's experiences can teach others as it has me. I hope that in sharing this, I can help at least one person to appreciate the small things just a little bit more. As I'm writing this, I'm holding back tears because I'm writing about something so difficult and at this moment, the song that we played at our wedding for our "First Dance" came on the radio. At that time, we had no idea what the Lord had in store for our lives. We were two carefree newly weds who thought we had multiple decades ahead of us before we encountered any type of major health issues. These things can happen to anyone at anytime. Because of that, I think it's of crucial importance for everyone to learn to appreciate what they have, even if what they have is limited to the ability to breathe.
I want you to imagine for a moment...What if one day you lost the ability to do all the things you love? How would you feel? This can happen in a single moment. One poor decision while driving (either by you or someone that hits you), or in a less common example, one morning you're perfectly fine, and then the next day you wake up with bacterial meningitis or some other disease that completely changes your life. Do you think that you would see walking as a blessing to others if it were taken from you? There are thousands of health conditions that can cause you to lose different functions of your body. Do you think you would wish that you had taken more time to appreciate these things while you had them? What about sight, hearing, taste, touch. What about the simplest of all bodily functions...breathing?

Side note: Here is a quote from my favorite roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. I found out yesterday that I'm related to him (among other super famous historical figures)! Yeah I was excited to find out...

 

 

Enedina has had different things taken from her one by one. I'm not going to go through every step in this blog, but I want to share a little so that you understand the situation. She was a stay at home mom and she loved it! Her whole life, she had hoped to be a stay at home mom with a lot of kids. She experienced that with Elena, and then for a few months with Eva. Then one day she started having these dizzy spells that made me start working from home so I could help to avoid her carrying Eva and dropping her during a dizzy spell. Next her joints started subluxing. That progressed really quickly. Then she started having these muscle spasms. There were a few times that we had to call the ambulance because she almost died from the spasms blocking her airways. In those moments, there was nothing I have ever wanted more than for her to be able to breathe. I'm sure she'd agree...Anyways, so at this point she had gotten to a point where she basically had to give up all of her favorite activities (yoga, running, etc.). Then the digestive issues started. The few things that were her absolute FAVORITES were sushi and chocolate. All of a sudden she couldn't eat rice or chocolate...so there goes that. Since then, we've found a way for her to be able to eat sushi and not get sick so we're grateful to have that back.
My point in saying all of that is this; Just about all of her favorite things to do have been taken from her because of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. She has gone through ups and downs in the process but she has learned to find happiness in the midst of losing all of these things. How? Well, the small things bring great pleasure.
Every day she wakes up is a blessing. Every breath she can breathe is a blessing. Every sensation and every experience is a blessing! Every moment she can spend with our daughters is a moment that we never want to lose!
I use her as an example because it is through her experiences that I have learned these important lessons.
We need to stop taking the AMAZING gift of an able body for granted and start treating ourselves with the respect that our bodies deserve. It is the greatest machine in existence. Why do we take care of our cars that might be worth $15,000 and yet we treat our bodies that are priceless, like crap? I did it for years and years and I didn't even realize it! If I had a Mercedes Benz, I'd be taking that car in to get the best fuel available and the best parts I could at every opportunity from the best mechanic I could find regardless of price. How much is that worth? Maybe $40,000? Can I even put a number on the value of an able body? How much would you pay to get an able body back if you lost it?
This is my point, we have the most amazing machine in existence that we literally live in, and we feed it crap, sit on our butts and don't exercise, and we let it get to a point where it can't even function correctly because we've neglected it for so long! WHY! Why did it take the most difficult experience of my life and watching my wife go through the most difficult experience I've ever witnessed for me to learn this?
I can go to a store and jump out of my car, run in and just get what I need and run out! Have you ever considered how easy that is compared to what handicapped people have to do? I can SEE what I'm looking for. How much value do you think a blind person would put on sight? I'd bet it's higher than the value of any car or other machine built by man.
If it were possible, we'd give up everything we have for my wife to get an "iron man suit" that would be a fake imitation of a repair for the body that we all take for granted. EVERYTHING WE HAVE! The value of health is far more precious than the mind can conceive. Problem is, you don't realize it until it's gone. I feel blessed that I didn't have to lose my health to learn to appreciate it. I wish I had learned it some other way though, because it's really hard to watch the woman I love go through the loss of body she has.
I think more than anything, this is why I love the new path that I've chosen. It is a different lifestyle. It's the second best change I've ever made in my life and it actually should have been part of the best change I ever made, I just didn't realize it. My explanation for that is found here.
I have basically devoted myself to helping others to learn these lessons without the terribly difficult experiences that it took for me to learn them. I'm devoted to helping others learn and then DO something about it!

PLEASE contact me if any of this inspires you to make a change. Maybe you aren't ready for change yet. If you even so much as have a DESIRE to make your life better, get ahold of me and I'll do anything in my power to help you, or if I can't, I will try to connect you with someone that can! I have found tremendous joy in helping others and I look for every opportunity I have available so don't be shy!