Let’s be honest, we don’t always make the best choices. For instance I am a type two diabetic, I know what I should and shouldn’t eat but sometimes that overwhelming need to eat something that will send my blood sugar high knowing I will only end up with a headache from hell. Yep, only myself to blame!
The same goes living with Muscular Dystrophy making the right choices is vital, and without speaking on behalf of others living with disabilities or as a disabled person. I am guessing most would agree.
Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action on an object there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In 1686, Sir Newton’s law was seen as groundbreaking, but in 2021, we take it’s simplicity for granted. There is a consequence for every action taken. When a metal object is placed into a toaster, that toaster will spark and give you an electrical shock.
We can take what Newton said and apply it to our lives with muscular dystrophy. Failing to keep active results in tight, sore muscles and loss of muscle memory. Eating high carbohydrate foods can result in feeling sluggish or fatigued. Going to bed late. Not having enough sleep or wearing a CPAP, BiPAP machine makes us more tired the next day.
Lately, I have been kindly reminded by my body what we do has a real-life impact on our health and well-being. Now, I’m not going to single-handedly cure MD, but I can make better healthier choices so that I feel energised throughout the day.
The idea that everything we do has an equal and opposite reaction resonates with me because it shows how much weight our choices have in determining the output of our lives.
If I procrastinate while writing this post, for example, the prose will be lacking and my thought process will be hard to follow. By writing it ahead of time, I’ll give myself time to self-edit.
So, we shouldn’t really be that surprised when we make the easy choice to slack off on our health, work, or relationships, things go awry. Sometimes even when we make what seem like the best possible decisions, the world still collapses on top of us. But at least we’ll know we tried our best. Sometimes things are just out of our control.
I read something once that stuck with me: “Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”
I have always believed it’s important to focus on taking control of what you can – your decisions, for example – and that things happen or the universe will guide us, depending on your belief.
With MD, we have no physical power, but we retain the ability to make our own choices. The same goes with other disabilities. Some choices are never easy, but the consequences of not making the right decisions can sometimes be detrimental.
You also have to look at your choices from a broad perspective, in the short term watching a gripping Netflix series 24/7 might give you surge of dopamine . In the long term, I’d lose my job, get no campaigning done. Wouldn’t be on top of my schedule or learning how to improve my health, and I’d also miss out on my relationships with my family and friends.
As an adult, I’ve realised that consequences – or as Sir Newton once said, an equal and opposite force – are real, and they can either be good or bad. It all depends on the choices we make.
Until next time, happy new year to you all.
Kisses K
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Kerry Thompson - My Life, Kerry's Way. 