Dance like nobody's watching....

Dance as if you believe / think no one is watching.

A wise woman once said to me after I'd once been very ill and had returned to the workforce; quite provably too early and I was dissapointed in my output. I felt as if I was underperforming and had moaned and groaned to her over a breakfast coffee. She was the mother of my then Operations Manager, I said something along the lines but what will people think of me, she looked me squarely in the eyes and said you would worry less about what people think, if you knew how little they think. That simple statement has stuck with me for over 15 years. I've repeated it many times along the way, it struck such a chord with me because I knew it to be true. People think far less of anything or anyone in general, they really relate everything back to themselves so you may feature in their actual thoughts for less than 30 seconds. Life saver she was, not a day goes bye and I don't think of her and her wisdom.

True enough. And the people who do actually think of you will probably want the best for you and would support you even if you danced upside down. (and I don't mean the Diana Ross song here. )

Something else: even people who never touched a drop of alcohol get older, and get unwell sometimes. We can't expect to be 18 again once we sobered up. Counting our blessings - small as they may look - is a good strategy. Maybe your dancing was off, but the guy or girl in the wheelchair would probably sell their soul in order to be able to do what you did.

I trimmed the hedges in the front yard today. Tedious work, lots of cleaning up to do, but the sun was out there, 23°C, and I enjoyed the whole time I was busy, even though today I felt quite a bit of pain. I concentrated on the fact that I was able to do this, that I had enough functioning limbs to pull it off. It's not earth shattering, but I can still do this and doing chores gives me a good feeling afterwards.

Wide-O, that night as I tried to dance I did see a young man in a wheelchair and I DID count my blessings. I also remember a young woman years ago who was in a wheelchair after her alcoholism caused her car accident that paralyzed her limbs. She was in the rooms of AA and professed her gratitude that she was clean and sober, it took what it took, and being in that chair was a thousand times better than the hell she lived when in the throws of the disease. These thoughts keep me humble.

I bought some ugly-*** shoes today. I still walk like a duck but I think my balance is better so at least I don't waddle as much.

I have had terrible burning in my feet up to my thighs. So much for the rewards of sobriety but it was either Wide-O or maybe Kiwi that said they were at their worst at 8 months so that gives me hope that it is not that the neuropathy is advancing but rather the nerves are regenerating.
I hurt quite badly and prior I considered myself lucky that I only had the pins and needles and limb weakness, so this burning pain is fairly new. Should this continue I may need to try the meds again. I hate meds and would rather be a slave to my numerous vitamins and supplements, but I can't fight to remain sober when in constant pain AND with everything else life keeps throwing my way.
One day at a time. In meantime OUCHEY!

Also thank you my friends for pushing good supportive shoes, as ugly as they are they help with balance issues. Safety first!

I wear (non-fashionable) boots which give me some ankle support.

They work for me.

And this is where my wise old friend statement has become my mantra.

"You would care less about what people think if you knew how little they think"

If you are gaining some measure of balance, that in itself helps restore confidence, and confidence my friend is what we need when tackling pain. A belief it will get better, a belief what we are doing helps to make it better. The mind is an incredible thing.

If you have the time or are inclined do check out Dr Jordan Nguyen. Watch the abc.net catalyst stories parts 1 & 2. Jordan develops & assists a young 13yr old disabled boy unable to move his limbs or communicate to drive a motor vehicle purely through the power of his mind. Have tissues

drjordannguyen

Catalyst: Becoming Superhuman Part 1 - ABC TV Science

Catalyst: Becoming Superhuman Part 2 - ABC TV Science

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