Gratitude+Attitude+Faith=Hope

There is great hope for the future of us living with CF and generally I am optimistic about my future. But I have known many whom have succumbed to this disease. And the many pills, medical treatments and hospital visits that I endure serve as a constant reminder of my race against time with this progressive disease.

Sometimes, hopelessness hides in the shadows of my heart, waiting for the slightest palpitation so that it can sneak in. My family and friends depend on me. They need me to be strong. They pick up cues as they walk with me down this path. If I have hope, they feel hopeful. So, how do I keep hope alive when I don't feel very hopeful?

Throughout my journey I have had so many pioneer the way, many who have inspired me, many who have encouraged me. The one thing that has always been abundantly clear to me is that these individuals all exuded gratitude. I am a firm believer that one's attitude greatly impacts their mood, health and overall well-being. Therefore, having hope is directly linked to my gratitude. Below are a few things I do to keep my attitude in check.

• Pay attention to my thoughts. Focusing on the postive thoughts rather than the negative ones. For example say "I am thankful for having heath insurance" rather than "What a hassle this insurance companies is!" then repeat over and over and over.

• Staying in the moment or immediate present. Asking myself what I am grateful for right now, today. My family? A roof over my head? I start with the simple things in life that I often take for granted.

• Take time to regularly think about things I am grateful for. I recently started a "thankful Thursday" post to write each week. This helps keep on the task at hand, to force me no matter what my mood is to stop and think about thankful. Writing has been incredibly therapeutic and healing.

While this all sounds well and good, it sometimes can be difficult to count our blessings. But once you get in the habit it truly becomes easier. It allows you to take what might seem hopeless and see it from a different perspective; thus staving off hopelessness from entering your heart.

Here are two more tips that B and I do to keep hope alive during the really hard times:

We try to keep our expectations in check. Hoping for a cure can keep us going but it can also be devastating when it doesn't happen fast enough. Miracles can and do happen! And it's also important to stay grounded in reality. Having faith with reasonable expectation helps us stay firmly planted on the ground as much as possible.

We take time to grieve. Crap happens. Bad things happen. Which usually causes one or both of us to respond with shock, fear, anger and often despair. We have learned that we have to allow the emotions to run their course, to validate them and to give one another time and space to grieve. This is so important for the healing process. However, it's also important to not get 'stuck' in that/those emotions.

For us faith in God has definitely given us more hope. When times are really tough, we can find comfort knowing that there is something bigger than us; that there is some meaning and purpose for it all, even if we can't see it or understand it.

~Doodlin'

Rockin' G-tube Accessories

Have you ever googled an image? Ever wonder where all those "homemade" photos come from? Well, they come from blogs just like this one. Interesting? Yes. Maybe. No

Well, today I was trying to find images of g-tubes like mine. I found thousands. The spectrum of age ranges are from very sweet babies that are days old to the very wise elderly. I don't feel so alone.

My point? I found these super duper cute covers for g-tubes. These particular ones are a bit juvenile for me but it inspired me to attempt to make a few for myself. How cool would I look in my bathing suit this summer with some rockin' g-tube cover? The other really awesome part is that you can make them in whatever type of material is most comfortable to you. Total customization.

~Doodlin'

Bag-O-Motivation

December and now January have proved to be incredibly trying months from many different angles of life. Surprisingly my health is not one of those aspects. So, today, when I got a large bag with my name on it that instructed me to open one gift after doing my nebulizer (breathing) treatments each day as motivation, you can image my joy. In fact the joy was so overwhelming that it overflowed from me like a waterfall.

You know I get many many words of encouragement, which I love and will always need from time to time. But this gift was so thought out and so perfect as a jump start to gaining motivation or the reward factor of changing a schedule to accommodate the treatments. Even though I am almost 30 years old, I still need to be rewarded. And let me tell you its so much more pressure (positive) to earn a reward from someone else, rather than me giving myself the reward. I feel obligated to follow thru on my end of the bargain you'd say.

My first gift was a lollipop and a little printed "you can do it" message. While I was doing my treatment tonight, I thought about all the parents who attempt tirelessly to get their children to sit still and do their treatments how great something like this would be. A simple gift to pull from a bag if one does their medications is marvelous. It could be a sticker, piece of candy, a piece of change to put in their piggy banks (dime or a quarter) or whatever your child would enjoy. I also think that this idea works for any adult who maybe going thru a rough time.

Do you know someone who could use a few days of encouragement or motivation? Maybe give this a try it sure warmed my heart and put a fire under my backside.

Thank you Nancy for this wonderful gift.

~Doodlin'