Is my mental disability a friend or an enemy?

Like many types of disabilities, mental disability can be something that conquers and defeats you. But it can be something that becomes your ally and a source of strength as you challenge it and it tests you. How inspired we all were by the person in a wheelchair who did the "Iron Man Triathlon" of the Special Olympics!
But I've also seen a mentally disabled person complain about how her medications were making her put on weight. While complaining, she was eating TWO double quarter pounder cheeseburgers (more than my points quota on Weight Watchers for an entire DAY). So part of it is making a willful choice between being a victim and a victor, a loser or a winner.
Where does one get the "inner strength" to be a winner? In my view, inner strenth, is a misnomer. Power comes from outside of one's self. My friends, my wife, my inspirational reading, my "Higher Power" are all a source of strength. For those of us with a disability, a support group, a Psychiatrist, a Therapist, are all part of a team we've gathered to give us strength to overcome the obstacles. As we overcome obstacles, we become stronger, more vibrant, more focused, and more alive. So what's the answer? Any disability is both a friend and a foe. It depends on what you do with it, and the attitude you bring to it. Even when it SEEMS like a foe, it's actually a FRIEND, because growth can happen when we are being Challenged.

Buisiness End

Buisiness End
Originally uploaded by Mr. Greenjeans.

Seeing things in a new, fresh way is essential to Procovery. Find friends that help you see new vistas of hope and possiblity. Surround yourself with a Procovery circle, for mutual encouragement. You can make your life wonderful, no matter what life has handed you. Great photographers and artists help us see things in a new light as well. Have you ever seen the bit of a router from this vantage point? Let the vision of others inform and enlighten you own.

the seasons: spring "reloaded"

the seasons: spring "reloaded"
Originally uploaded by -sel-.

Roses are some of the few flowers that bloom both spring and fall. What makes YOU bloom? Are you aware of those things that matter to you? That make your heart sing? If children are a delight to you, consider working or volunteering at a day-care center. If nature perks you up, make a willful effort to get out in nature. . .even if you don't feel like it. Feelings follow actions.

content

Sometimes it just feel wonderful to stay in bed, doesn't it??
On the other hand, if we do it every day, we can miss out on a lot of our life.
What we do with each day matters. Choosing to:
1) accept ourselves and our condition,
2) make a choice about our life, and
3) move forward with plans, goals, and hope, makes all the difference.

It IS, after all, a CHOICE.

content Originally uploaded by •pearl grace.

Vincent VanGogh probably had what today we call Schizophrenia. And yet he produced some of the most stirring and beloved paintings of all time. He was able through his art to devote himself to something outsided himself; to enter into a special relationship of seeing and interpreting the world in paint on canvas. He Procovered. He did not let his condition dictate what his life was going to be about. In the end, his mental disorder is just a footnote to a grand life of self-expression.

This is a photo I took in Chicago at the Art Institute. It's called "Bedroom at Arles"