A Positive Attitude

I've always maintained how important it is to keep a positive attitude when you are ill with a chronic condition, and to try and turn things round and look at them in a different way. Life is full of problems for everyone, and it's not the problems that are the problem, if you understand me - it's how we deal with the problems!

Yesterday I went to the supermarket to do the weekly shopping, and as usual I asked for someone to help me pack, get a trolley and push my shopping out to the car for me, and load it in. This time they found a lovely lady who works there, called Pearl - she's always so friendly and helpful, and we had time for a little chat. We talked about this business of being positive, and she said there's a gentleman who shops there regularly, and she often asks how he is, etc. and always feels depressed after talking to him! The day before, he'd been in and she asked how he was, and out came the tale of woe. She said "I got a bit cross with him, and said 'Well, you woke up this morning, didn't you? You can breathe unaided [her mother died of lung cancer and took a while over it too], you can walk, you can do your own shopping, you've had a long life...'" She said he was a bit ashamed after that! I know it's a cliche, but there's always someone worse off than yourself.

A case in point - my friend Nilly on the Brainfog forum has M.E. like me, and at the moment she also has a slipped disc and is in great pain and virtually bed-bound. Yet she is so positive! There's quite a lot going on in her life at the moment, yet she's always there on the forum ready to give a cyberhug to anyone who needs it, and to encourage, advise, reach out and comfort others. She even said the other day that she was worried that she was being selfish!!! (She was definitely shouted down for that one lol!)

Anyway, I follow her blog - see her on my blog list - Vanillalemoncake. I don't usually make a post out of a new post on a blog that I'm following, but today I thought I must! Just take a look at what she's doing. This post of hers is awesome. If you are not already following her, please do!! She's so creative, as well as being so lovely!

http://vanillalemoncake.blogspot.com/2010/07/creative-for-second-or-two.html

(I've had a busy day out today and used up all my spoons, so no ART today, no ironing, no more done on my DLA form... See you tomorrow, hopefully!)