The Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate MS (at least my version of MS)
10. Accessibility problems in general, bathrooms in particular.
9. MS costs too damn much money. Most years I spend enough out of pocket money on medical expenses to exceed the 7.5% of AGI required to claim medical expenses as a tax deduction, even after insurance payments are taken into account.
8. Because this is a progressive disease, sometimes I don’t know what it is I can’t do until all of a sudden I can’t do it anymore. I spend a lot of times on the sidelines watching people take part in fun activities.
7. I miss all the good things that come with working, including income; sense of accomplishment; sense of being engaged in worthy endeavors; spending time with customers, vendors, and coworkers who are some of the nicest people I know.
6. It’s hard to stay healthy and maintain good body weight when I’m so inactive.
5. I miss outdoor activities like snowmobiling, ATV riding, camping, and actually walking in the woods when I hunt (I still hunt from my wheelchair). No thanks, not interested in handicapped skiing.
4. I am completely reliant on technology. If a disaster struck (nuclear war, asteroid smashes into the Earth, Yankees win another World Series) how would I survive?
The Top 10 Silver Linings of Having MS
Let me be perfectly clear about this- MS sucks! But my life has changed so much due to MS, and some of that change has been for the better. It’s been a one step forward, ten steps back process. Here are some of the steps forward:
10. I have time to keep up this blog.
9. I’ve met so many wonderful people I would have never otherwise met: people with MS, medical professionals, people who just care.
8. Lifetime, complementary hunting license and state-wide doe permit.
7. I can now justify the “3 movies at a time” option at Netflix.
6. Wheelchair accessible tickets for Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics are so much easier to get than normal tickets.
5. I physically cannot clean a bathroom, rake leaves, or vacuum the house- three things I hated to do anyway. Please, do not forward amazing new discoveries that will allow me to do any of these things again.
4. I’ve become a better person in several ways. I’ve had to adopt Zen perspectives like “living for the moment” and “mindfulness” that I should have adopted anyway, but probably wouldn’t have if not for MS. I keep things in perspective better now. I don’t sweat the small stuff as much.
3. I get preferential treatment wherever there are long lines: amusement parks, museums, boarding airplanes, etc.
2. I’m out of the corporate rat race. I run a lot of “if I had it to do over again” career scenarios in my head. If I had a do-over, I doubt I would choose the corporate life again. I missed out on my calling, whatever that was.
And the number 1 silver lining of having MS is…
1. Handicapped parking. Enough said?