Sure, Lupus prevents me from doing a
lot of things I enjoy. It also stops me from doing too much. And for
me, that's a good thing. You see, I've always been the kind of person
who helps everyone but number one. And, while that could be
considered admirable, it can be taken too far.
With Lupus, I'm forced to take care of
myself. I have to stop and say no to others once in a while. As much
as it hurts, I have to be firm with people or I'm not going to
survive this. Because taking on my own responsibilities and this
illness combined with helping others is just too overwhelming.
Overdoing it with a chronic illness can be fatal.
But there's much more to it than that.
You see, before I found out I had
Lupus, I was doing too much, even for a healthy person. So, even if I
was completely healthy, all the stress I was bringing on myself
wasn't good for me.
I was taking on too many of other
people's problems. I was trying to be everything to everyone. It
wasn't just bad for me, either. It was bad for the people that I was
helping.
You see, something else Lupus has
taught me about life is that struggles are just as important as
triumphs. Likely more so. They build strength and character like
nothing else can. Therefore, being “good” to people by solving
their problems for them isn't really all that admirable.
So that Lupus stop sign isn't just
important for me to obey. It's also good for everyone around me.
Leaving them to solve their own problems may seem cruel, but it's
actually just the opposite. Lupus isn't a death sentence, but it will
likely shorten my time with them. That means they need to learn to
handle their own problems without my help now, before they have no
choice in the matter.
So, Lupus is a stop sign, but it's a
helpful one. For everyone. Not just me.
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