Advice from the Moon

Advice from the Moon

Live life to the fullest

Be someone to look up to

Don't be phased by difficulties

Take time to reflect

Enjoy a little space

Honor the cycles of nature

Light up the Night!

Ilan Shamer

This advice was given to my husband Dwain and I as part of a "Thank You" packet for volunteering at Wallowa Lake State Park. It's printed beautifully and I'll frame it.

I believe it gives us things to think about.

Live life to the fullest. This is tough for a Fibromyalgia patient. By the time you are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, you realize life as you know it, is never going to be the same. We need to learn and accept our limitations, learn how to read our body. Then do what we want to do. Yes, we may not be climbing mountains, but we can instruct someone on how to climb mountains. We must adjust to what our new "can do" is. Soon after I was diagnosed and realized that I would not be able to lead my life as usual, I said to Dwain, "how are we going to do the things we do, like go hiking?" Dwain said, "We can go on a hike. We hike 'til you get tired. Then we rest 'til you are ready to go on." I needed to adjust my thinking. We may not hike the entire hike and we will rest when we need to. You learn to be happy with that. Besides, while resting, you enjoy the views rather than walk past them.

Be someone to look up to. If you lead life to YOUR fullest, others will look up to you. You can learn alot by watching someone you admire. Be that someone, choose how you want to live your life.

Don't be phased by difficulties. Difficulties being our limitations. It's easier said than done, but when we are faced with a difficult situation, we must let it go and not dwell on it. The more we dwell, the more stress. Stress is not our friend...who wants to hurt more?

Take time to reflect. Reflect how your Fibromyalgia is taking its toll. Assess what you need to do to make your life healthier and happier. Reflect on the positive things Fibromyalgia has given you. Positive? What is positive about Fibro? For me, it was continuing to take hikes and enjoying the view. I'm taking more time to enjoy my life. If I did not have Fibromyalgia pain and Chronic Fatigue, my life might be perfect.

Enjoy a little space. Do you enjoy "ME" time through out your day? I wish I had more "ME" time. I rarely receive assistance from my husband on household duties. So there is always something to do. To have "ME" time I must put off household chores. It's hard to relax when you know you have work to do. We need time in our day to totally relax..we need to strive for that time.

Honor the cycles of nature. Here are a few thoughts thinking about nature in different contexts.

We have pain reaction to Mother Nature's seasons, either summer or winter. Remember to dress appopriately and/or have the AC ready. We have increased pain when our monthly cycle arrives. We need to have our chores complete so you can take that time for relaxation.

Light up the night! Share your smile, the twinkle in your eyes...stay positive. :D

My message is to be positive. Advocating for yourself. Assess your limitations and adjust to make your life more complete.