Live with It

So today I wanted to take a minute and get back to COPD. I am not famous and have never done anything extraordinary. I’m just an old woman with a breathing problem. I have a few thoughts I would like to share with you all about this illness. When I was first diagnosed, I could either cope with it or live with it. The difference being if I were coping with it I would see it as a hindrance. If I decided to live with it I could embrace it, accept it and adapt to it. I chose to live with it. I know this may sound small when you first read this but think about it for a minute. If you are only coping you let it affect your attitude and I think this could cause depression and anxiety. If you are living with it you look forward to doing what ever you have to because you know it will give you extra time. It lets you be the master of your own fate and makes you appreciate the good days and accept the bad days as a way of life. You can’t over come the disease but with the right attitude you can live a good and happy life. It maybe too late for me, but you can stop smoking and turn your life and your health around. I think when you get diagnosed with a chronic illness, there is a tendency to sit back and expect the doctors to cure us. The truth is we each need to be responsible for our own fate, and control our own destiny. Life is not over till we are dead and buried. In the mean time live life to the fullest. Get out and enjoy the sunsets, smell the flowers, enjoy your family. Life is way to short to sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Get off your butt and do something fun. It may have slowed me down but I still enjoy life. The butts I can kick today are just slower and lower.