Lucky

I actually think I'm a lucky person. I think with MS, it would be very easy to become bitter.  But there are so many ways that I am so fortunate.  I am  fortunate that I was able to have my son before I got sick.  It would've been nearly impossible to have a baby and care for a baby after my diagnosis.  But, by the time I was diagnosed, Eli  was already a year old.  I really enjoyed him as an infant and toddler and was able to do lots of things with him including carrying him in a baby sling and  going for marathon walks with him in the stroller.  I think we wore that stroller out walking around the neighborhood!
I am also very fortunate, that we bought the house we did.  We got this little ranch house before the big real estate bubble happened (which is fortunate in and of itself).  We actually looked at a couple of two-story homes, and put a bid in on at least one.  As it is, this house is actually pretty handicapped accessible.  No stairs since it is a ranch.  No basement so all of the  utilities are upstairs.  Not having a basement really freaked me out at first.  I'm from Missouri and everyone has a basement there.  I mean where do we go if there is a tornado?  However, here in Des Plaines, the basement is a huge hazard because we live in a flood zone.  I don't know how any times the basement would have been an underwater if we had one.  So we are fortunate that we don't have to worry about a sump pump or things getting ruined due to flooding.  Let's hear it for a house on a slab. 
I am also fortunate that I had very good insurance when I got my diagnosis.  I am fortunate that Bill Clinton signed into law that someone who is covered during a diagnosis can switch their coverage if they get a new job.  I didn't have to worry about having a pre-existing condition when I got a new job.  When I got laid off from my job it was very scary because I wasn't sure about my options.  But another very lucky thing in that Illinois has a public option.  Illinois has a high risk pool  insurance.  I was fortunate that HIPPA was another law and that I was able to stay on the insurance until the HIPPA ran out and that there was actually a government subsidy so that I wasn't paying $1500 a month.
Every day I realize how fortunate I am to have a supportive family.  I work with so many people who struggle to find support in life.  It is so easy to forget how important it is to have a support system and a caring family.
So while all the things that MS does to me could make me feel that I got the lousiest deal in the world, I am absolutely fortunate in so many ways.
My mom once sent me an e-mail about a donkey.  The story in the e-mail was about a donkey who fell into a well.  The farmer who owned the donkey decided it would be easier to just bury him in the well then it would be to try to get him out.  So he started to shovel dirt into the well.  After every shoveled full of dirt, the donkey would shake it off his back and step on it.  In doing so he was able to smash the dirt down and step up closer to the edge of the well.  Eventually he got to the top and walked out.  The moral of the story is that if you have adversity you can allow it to bury you, or you could allow its to become a way for you to reach the top again.  However, the story doesn't end there.  The story ends with the donkey slapping  the crap out of the farmer for being so rude.
Sometimes I just need to feel like I am slapping the crap out of the MS!