Living In The Moment

As a medical social worker for many years I would joke with my peers, aka Besties, that we need to write a book about some of the patient/family scenarios we dealt with because we would say “we can’t make this shit up.” I never imagined in my 50’s that I would consider writing a blog or book from the perspective of someone who was diagnosed with a terminal condition, called ALS. I’m not a writer, nor do I feel like I’m good at it. Honestly, I think this will never get published, and it would be more for my family and my closest friends to read if they are interested. Who knows, maybe it won’t be read by anyone.

However, after thinking about the subject matter and sharing my idea with a few close family members and friends, their words of encouragement made it clear that I should move forward and give it a try. One thing I can guarantee you, my writing will be sincere, truthful, and from the heart. Since my diagnosis, there have been so many moments related to my disabilities that I found amusing or I was totally heartbroken about. These moments typically were accompanied by either laughter or tears in the moment, or after the event. This blog is not intended to offend anyone or make light of the fact that having a terminal condition such as ALS is not serious because having ALS sucks. It robs my loved ones and I of so much. Hopes and dreams slowly slip away and we are constantly dealing with grief of the losses we are enduring.  However, faith along with a sense of humor, allowing myself time to process my grief and taking it one day at a time I feel we can get through. 

Prior to being diagnosed with ALS, I was never good at taking one day at a time. I was always pre-planning the future and missing out on living in the moment, or as some would say, being on the hamster wheel.  We continue to just keep going, don’t we? Whether it was with work or my family responsibilities, I just never slowed down.  However, when I was faced with death, it forced me to slow down and live in the moment. I read somewhere that we truly can’t live until we recognize our own mortality.  This is true for all of us even if we are not facing a terminal illness. We must strive to live in the moment, to make memories and have a quality of life that is worth living. Thank you for joining me on this blogging journey!

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