A Precious Gift

I want to share a gift with you. It is one that I treasure very much. It is not a gift that you leave in the package to store on a shelf in the back room closet. It is not one to just pull out several times a year; to look at, think about where it came from, who was involved, then put it away to collect dust and cobwebs.

This precious gift is one of the many memories that I think about and strive to use every day as inspiration as to how I desire to have my time spent. If you think about it, "time spent" is some thing that is used up, gone, something you can't have back. But it can be used as a background. A template if you will for the next block of time.

Last week I had a truely aweful Friday. Ususally Fridays are a day to look forward to. The begining of the weekend. For me, time to plan my time out of doors. Cooking (so I don't have to the rest of the weekend), catching up laundry, and making phone calls to plan get togethers. Not this day. Nothing was going according to my plans. Actually, nothing was going including me! My body decided to have a breakdown. I guess the MS wanted to let me know it was still here in full force. There is nothing to do when that happens, but lay back and let it have it's way.

Then came Saturday morning. How wonderful to wake up and feel so completely different from one day to the next. I felt so good. I knew then that I needed to get out and do all that I could do!

I fixed up some snacks, drinks, and organized my back pack. Then Michael and I loaded up the truck and away we went.

We arrived at the craig to find some other friends had just arrived. It was an unexpected suprise. We strapped on our packs and headed up the trail. I was still feeling so amazing!

It is so hard to describe the feeling of being able to get out after a day like the previous one. When all of the muscles work the way you want them too, when there is very little pain, when the coordination, balance, and thought process all work as they should.

I look around at the beautiful area, feel the cool breeze, inhale the wonderful clean country air, and am so grateful for this gift. I know that the memory of this day will stay with me to give me hope for the next one.

Walking up the trail is not hard today. I am keeping my balance, not stumbling around, not even short of breath. I feel strong, in control of myself once again.

We stop to watch our friends get on a route they have not had the opportunity to climb before. They are both very strong climbers. They say it is a very enjoyable route. It was fun and inspiring to watch them.

Since I have now been inspired, it is time to go get on the rock ourselves. Michael decides we will get started on a route that is one of my favorites. He leads, putting up the draws, clipping the anchors. I am feeling very confident and am in my peaceful place . I top rope up and clean the gear with out any trouble at all. I feel graceful and at ease.

We do a couple more routes that day. Both of them are ones that I have had trouble with and tend to struggle though. This day, I have been given the inner strength to get up both. But I must say that the last one took all that I had in me. When Michael lowered me to the ground, I found I was shaking all over, laughing with the excitement of having completed the climb reguardless of the energy it took! It did take the very last bit of energy that I had.

After a snack and some juice, I got all my gear loaded in my pack. I was getting ready to strap up and found that I was going to have to rest a while before heading down the trail. I was still trmebling from head to foot. We sat dawn for a little while and just enjoyed being out under the blue sky. Finally the shaking stopped and I decided I was ready to head down the trail.

What a wonderful day! Going from not being able to pour a glass of tea, to hiking, carrying a backpack, and rock climbing. A day to remember. A day to inspire. A day of hope. A day to carry in my heart!

Even though the bad days come, and I know that they will; there also will be days like this. If I can give you one gift in your life, it would be this. Do not to sit and worry that life has handed you trials, hard, difficult times. Maybe pain, maybe confusion, maybe sorrow. Get out of your chair. Go do something. Challenge yourself. It doesn't have to be much. There are times and situations that limit ones ability to do certain things. But you don't know what you can do, until you try. And I will tell you that nature has a way of healing. Even if you just take a chair and sit outside for a while. The next day, take your chair a little further. Find a different place, different scenery, get up and walk around a little, use a walking stick if you need to (I do), Get a bird guide book and binoculars. Maybe get a fishing license. Plant some flowers.

Give yourself a precious gift. If you wait for some one else to deliver you from your situation, you will be waiting a long time. This is one that others can and will help you with, but you must decide to give it to yourself. I hope and pray that you will choose to live and not let life go by!