The Tortoise and the Hare

Remember reading or hearing that story?  We have usually been told that the moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.  Another way to see the story could be that to have success, you have to use the talents you have, not just flaunt them.  If you do, someone who is “slow and steady” may just come along and outshine you.

I used to be kind of like the hare.  Although I don’t think I ever flaunted any talent I might have had, I was quick in getting things done and had boundless energy.  I would go to work, take care of my household chores and still have the energy to go out dancing or something.  MS has greatly changed all that.

I am thinking that MS causes us to be hares.  What we used to do is out of the question now.  Most of us with MS have lost the ability to do many of the things we used to do, from thinking clearly, seeing clearly, being able to walk or take care of ourselves.  We have had to rearrange our priorities and do what we can when we can. Taking it easy and thinking we can do something quicker and more efficiently than someone else no longer is an option.

Many diseases “take the wind out of your sails” and leave you with only a part of the life you used to have.  Most people who do not have any of these diseases have no idea what we go through just trying to make it through a day. Having a list of things to do and trying to decide which one to start with is a fantasy.  We are lucky if we can start one thing and get it finished.

My husband is a boundless mass of energy most days.  It is rare that he gets up feeling a little “sluggish”.  When he does, he always tells me that it gives him a better idea of how I must feel every day.

I have watched “Dancing With The Stars” a couple of times lately because Donald Driver is one of the celebrity contestants.  As I have mentioned before, we are big Green Bay Packer fans, and I wanted to see how he is as a dancer.  I am impressed with his performances so far.  He is one of those people with an abundance of energy.

Maybe I need to embrace my role as a tortoise.  When you think about it, he did win the race and is the hero of the story.  There is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that even if you have to take your time and do everything slow, you can get the job done…….and I’ve always thought turtles were cute anyway!  Go Ninja Turtles!!!