My grandmother used to say that no one goes through life untouched. Way back when I was a lot younger, I never quite understood what she was saying. Now many years later, sadly long after my Nana has died, I think I understand what she was saying although I may have taken this more esoteric and less of a literal meaning.

There are two groups of people in the word. There are those that go through life having the best marriage, winning every lottery, getting the best jobs, never have a serious illness, and leading what seems to the rest of us, a perfect life. Then there's the rest of us. We're the ones who work hard for what we need and not just what we want, appreciate what we have dearly because we're dealt the blows early on, and take it all in stride with all the willpower we can muster.

These "other" people, the ones that lead the perfect lives, poke fun (figuratively) at the rest of us, treat us like garbage, mock our illness, and never give us credit for anything other than being their slaves. They even go as far as to deny us treatment for our illnesses, or when they do provide treatment it's sometimes at a lower level unless we pay highly for it.

The'se so-called untouched people however will end up touched physically at some point in their lives whether they realize it or not. At some point in their arrogance they will trip up because they take everything for granted. They'll ruin their perfect marriage by having an affair, their job by performing some shady deal or other illegal activity. Or worse, end up seriously ill. With all of their material possesions and their picture-perfect lives, this will do them in faster than it will the rest of us.

You see, they've never had to deal with this kind of thing longterm so they don't know how to deal with it. They don't know how to face an enemy head on, only to bully others to get what they want. They are the first ones to run for the hills when the going gets rough.

What was she saying? After all of my feveriish ramblings, these other people who feel that nothing ever will happen to them, will be hit harder and faster that the rest of us who had to deal with life's issues all along. It's only that we will see any strides made in medication and treatment for our illnesses because up to this point they couldn't care less about what's been wrong with the rest of us.

You'll all probably think I'm totally cracker-brained after this post.

John

the seven wonders of the world -
not what you expect...



youtube is very much better -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bQC0Thv-Xc

Those who feel sorry for themselves suffer the most. Best to learn early that life is not perfect and nature is heartless and unfair, but that life and nature are lovely all the same.

birte

John you are not "cracked" at all. After all, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." --Theodore Seuss Giesel

You have a good point here. Then there are those people who will not let the world into their private world. They don't want to be touched by imperfection. In fact, it is these people who will ignore a health issue in fear of what it is, rather than acknowledge it and take care of it NOW.

Fear of the unknown is a very powerful emotion.

I have two sisters...one older, one younger...they live in fear in their "perfect lives"...well, that is to say they believe they live perfect lives. One fears that her life as she ages (now 62) will diminish if she does not have enough MONEY when she retires (now at age 67) to live the extremely comfortable life she now lives. Of course, she does not see her life from the sidelines as I see it. She has absolutely no compassion or empathy for me who has PD, lives on a barely livable disability income, and NO assets to speak of.

My younger sister, also sees her life as perfect. Perfect car, perfect house, perfect everything.

What these people are missing is the lessons WE all learn about being human. Allowing other humans to touch our lives. Allow ALL walks of life to touch our lives.

I have a love/hate relationship with quotes...which makes it extremely difficult to decide which is my favorite at any point in time!! But I did manage to pare it down to only three:

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
-- Annie Dillard

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
-- Pericles

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOHOO - What a Ride!"
-- Attributed to an octogenarian named Mavis Leyrer, of Seattle

Re: the reality of life. I'm reminded ot the first line of a book I once read (I believe it was Rabbi Kushner's book, "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People")...the line..."LIFE IS DIFFICULT"...some learn this REALITY sooner than others, but I believe it is those of us who have suffered along the way who will emerge the strongest and will be well able to cope with the reality that "life is, indeed, difficult. It is a very sad fact that those who live in their fantasy worlds of perfection and who, inevitably, will be confronted by life's tough realities are really to be pitied when that reality "shock"happens.

...and Carolyn...the quotes...absolutely "on target"...and something for all of us to remember...

...and John...you are NOT a cracked-brain! You have introduced a very powerful, thought-provoking thread.

Therese

People still surprise me, those very same people, blind to the shared reality we're in and how their ignorance affects others, could trip on the corner stone at any time and wake up. It sure is frustrating to watch, ignorance seems bliss, but I think, to some extent all of our eyes aren't fully open. Through blistering patience and example maybe we can help open their eyes a little as well as our own.

What your Grandmother said was spot on... untouched. What a tragedy that would be, to stumble through this experience like a bull in a china shop never realizing all the wonderful things you are bumping into. (Although I don't particularly care for fine china or bumping into things )

Peace , love and happiness... and, yeah, those people **** me off too...

Robert

There are two groups of people in this world. Those who walk into a room and say. "Well. Here I am." and those who walk into a room and say. "Ah. There you are."

All the best,


Lloyd

as I am sure it has touched many of us ..
I also feel I have shouldered more than my fair share of responsibilities ... and that directly contributed to my PD ..
There is bitterness .. I can't deny it ...
But there is also stuborness ..
the feeling that we will not be overcome..

I can still enter a room and say "here I am" but it's because i am wearing two different color knee hi 's and fall or spill something eventually. my sister pointed out that my sweater was inside out when she picked me up from the Udall conference in Pittsburgh. It's all that attention to detail at work.


paula