Guest Post: What MS Taught Me about Compassion for Self and Others…

“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.” Thomas Merton

Compassion: Healing Hands & Healing Lives...

Margaret Tidwell has graciously agreed to share insights on MS with us. This is one of the SITSGIRLS Tribe building workshop assignments and my post is on her site. This is also my 100th post and I’d like to say a big Thank You to my guest poster and blogger, Margaret, and to everyone for their love and support!

I got to know Elizabeth through the SITSGIRLS Tribe Building/Blog Support event. They have organized a build-your-tribe-right-now-effort and we are both in the Hare Tribe; Becoming Your Best Self Bloggers. One of the things we had to do this week was to write a guest post for someone in our tribe and have someone guest post on our blog. Elizabeth suggested the idea of writing about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how it has taught me to be more compassionate toward myself and others. I was super excited to write about this because I have never thought of MS like that before.

For those that don’t know, MS stands for Multiple Sclerosis and it is a condition where the immune system attacks the central nervous system. I found out I had MS because my left leg would just start to drag for no reason. Even after that started happening, it still took months to get doctors to do anything about it. When I first found out, I was so scared because what 15 year old wants to find out that they are chronically ill? Little did I know at that point how much my life would change… It made me reconsider how I treat and look at other sick people. I have since gathered a lot of resources and my blog offers tons of helpful information on MS.

Before I was diagnosed, I never really understood what it meant to be sick every day. What 15 year old really can comprehend what it feels like to be sick or the struggles people have in the world? As I think about my outlook over the past ten years, I am amazed to see how I have changed when it comes to looking at the world. I have matured and I am able to see that there are other people in the world who just need someone to care for them.

I now know that just because someone is sick, it doesn’t mean that they don’t need a friend or a helping hand. I worked at a nursing home for a few years and that also helped me see that we all eventually need someone who cares. I am now 25 and I do whatever I can to help people or, at least, let them know I am thinking about them.

There is no reason why each of us can’t just sit and listen to a grandparent talk about their past or help someone who is disabled. If we all take a few minutes out of each day to just listen or lend a helping hand the world would be a much better place!
I will close by saying never judge a book by its cover.

We can definitely learn a lot about ourselves through health concerns and a positive motivational tip is to be gentle with ourselves… What did you learn from Margaret’s post? Share Your thoughts? Thank you!
Margaret
MargaretTidwell Blogspot
Bitching AboutLife123

Margaret writes at The World As I See It where she blogs about MS and the trials that come along with having MS. She writes a column on Tuesdays all about different MS topics. She is a laid back person that likes to take time out just to see the world turn.

PHOTO CREDITS:
Photo of Healing Hands via Creating Positive Lives
or via BeliefNet.com

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank