JustBreathe

a magazine by HEALING HOTELS OF THE WORLD

  • Body
    • Health
    • Ayurveda
    • Detox
    • Anti-Stress
    • Beauty
    • Healing Water
    • Graceful Aging
    • Weight Loss
    • Fitness
    • Sleep
  • Mind
    • New Consciousness
    • Mindfulness
    • Meditation
    • Yoga
  • Soul
    • Spirituality
    • Food for Your Soul
    • Me-Time
  • Life
    • Holistic Lifestyle
    • Inspirational Podcasts
    • Inspiring People
    • Green Living
    • Charity
    • Design
  • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
  • Healing Hotels
Close
JustBreathe
Close
  • Body
    • Health
    • Ayurveda
    • Detox
    • Anti-Stress
    • Beauty
    • Healing Water
    • Graceful Aging
    • Weight Loss
    • Fitness
    • Sleep
  • Mind
    • New Consciousness
    • Mindfulness
    • Meditation
    • Yoga
  • Soul
    • Spirituality
    • Food for Your Soul
    • Me-Time
  • Life
    • Holistic Lifestyle
    • Inspirational Podcasts
    • Inspiring People
    • Green Living
    • Charity
    • Design
  • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
  • Healing Hotels

Multiple Sclerosis – a Life Altering Experience

Body, Health, Inspiring People, Life October 5, 2018 Rick Sommers-Steinhaus
Multiple Sclerosis – a Life Altering Experience

© Clint McKoy

“You don’t know what you got till it’s gone”. That was a lyric to a popular hit song on the radio I heard when I was growing up in New York. But as a teenager, all it was was a singable line from a Joni Mitchell song that really didn’t have much impact on me until that “it” was gone, later in life, when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

 

“Multiple what?”

Fast forward some 20 years later when, after a series of puzzling odd symptoms, my doctor rather matter-of-factually confirmed earlier suspicions. I had relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS). All I knew was that anything with the word “multiple” in it was not likely anything I wanted as part of my daily lexicon. Much less my daily existence. Initially, the words rang hollow, but then continued to reverberate through my soul. Much the way one yells into a canyon; “Is anybody there… there, there?” Can anybody hear me… me, me?”

This MS thing? There was no finish line, no medal, and certainly not people along the route yelling my name and cheering me on.

Having just completed a 26.2 mile marathon, I had never been in better shape in my life; physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Little did I realize that while one marathon was in the rear view mirror, the other was just beginning and hearing the gun go off at the starting line. At the conclusion of the first marathon (the running one), at least I got a medal around my neck, some bragging rights, a great photo crossing the finish line, and one more check mark on my life’s to-do list.

Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. The beat of a different drum continued to bounce around my head.  Was my life now over? Or, just life as I had known it for the past 24 years? I was totally dumbfounded by this unwelcome and unanticipated news in my life. How could anything be wrong with me? But it was, and IS. I was now a member of a special fraternity I never asked to be a part of.

 

MS is Life Altering, NOT Life Threatening

24 1/2 years have passed since that day. For me, I have bought into the mantra that “MS is NOT life threatening, but life ALTERING”. And those words could not be more true.

I have grown immensely in ways that I could never have anticipated.

For the past 3 decades, I have experienced more than my share of potholes and hiccups. I certainly asked myself “why?”, and “what’s the point of any of this thing called life?”

I have thought about death, but seem to have made a conscious choice to live. I enjoy whatever time I am lucky enough to spend here; at this computer, sipping a fine, hearty red wine, breathing the fresh mountain air or hearing the surf crash on to the rocks at the shoreline. I have taken more than my share of lumps, had broken bones, fuzzy thoughts, not working limbs. You get the idea. Or maybe you don’t and never will.

 

The Status Quo

Living with Multiple Sclerosis

People who’ve known me forever see changes in the way I get from point A to point B. They often look at me with disbelief as if to unspeakably ask “how?“ or “why?” or proclaim “what a shame.”

Some ask ‘how are you doing?” and my usual answer is “status quo”. I remind myself that my status quo is probably better than many, with or without MS. Would I give my disease back? Certainly, in a heartbeat. But I have to pause and consider that ironically, I have been given many gifts that have made my life worthy and memorable.

Perhaps most importantly, I have been bestowed with a classic coping strategy that allows me the ability to laugh, see the glass half full (rather than half empty) and to hopefully make a difference in this world, especially in the Multiple Sclerosis universe.

John Lennon supposedly said “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”.

I think about my ancestors, my parents, and people I have been lucky enough to know during my time here on planet earth. On a crystal clear night, I have peered into the abyss to try and wrap my head around the concept of “infinity”. It still boggles my not-so scientific mind.

But I do grasp this much; our time here is pretty limited but hopefully we can do some good, some comforting, some laughing, some crying, some mending fences and some healing along the way.

 

Read more about me and my cause here: rickaroundtheglobe4ms.com

 

Tags: health Life MS

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Food for Your Soul – A Column

Where do I Find Peace?

A retreat in the English countryside leads Claudia on a journey within. Here, she contemplates the concept of peace and inner truth. Read more →

Cold-Water Swimming: A Story on Breaking Habits

This is not just a story on cold-water swimming, but a profound insight into the journey a new dare entails and the results on body and soul. Read more →

When the Door Opens for Change

What is the meaning of change? How can we accept and deal with it? And what is the powerful message hidden beneath, if you dare to look? Read more →

Newsletter Signup

* indicates required

Trending:

Recent tweets

May 2, 2022 10:57 amToday's article highlights how exactly a Laughter Yoga class works, as well as the many reasons why laughter is so… https://t.co/Ulutc3Vdrv
February 23, 2022 15:56 pm“In every new beginning lies a true magic.” - Herman Hesse Anne Biging, founder and CEO of @HealingHotels reflects… https://t.co/MyQpqlB9gf
February 20, 2022 09:37 amMe-Time Sunday #10 💛 Check out today’s #MeTime article to read about @crothburns’s magical #Imbolc experience.… https://t.co/xuut9MtCMT
February 17, 2022 16:39 pmThere is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one. –Sue Atkins Welcoming a #newborn marks the begin… https://t.co/eeYD21A4Ew
February 10, 2022 17:28 pmDIY: Alchemistic Hand Sanitizer in 4 Steps. Modern alchemist Renate De Mario Gamper developed the concept of the Al… https://t.co/dlJ3TOivJh

Follow us on Twitter →

justbreathemag

justbreathemag
"The light in me, honors the light in you."✨ Li "The light in me, honors the light in you."✨

Light plays a central role in our lives. On the most fundamental level, through photosynthesis, light is at the origin of life itself. And on a spiritual level, light is a universal symbol of life, inclusion and renewal; associated with a spiritual awakening and and the opposite of the suffering that's associated with darkness.

This International Day of Light we're sharing an article (link in bio) by @ameliavogler_healing that highlights the importance of using grounding exercises to unleash and shine your inner-light; allowing you to tap into your 'higher-self' and live with calmness, kindness and compassion. 

#JustBreatheMag #JustBreathe #Healing #Wellbeing #ConsciousLiving #Happiness #TreatYourself #TakeCare #Selfcare #BodyMind #Holistic #Life #Live #Positivity #Mindset #Lifestyle #LifeIsGood #HealthyLifestyle #HappinessIsAChoice #InternationalDayofLight #light
Are you a parent? How would you describe the role Are you a parent? How would you describe the role in three words?🚸 

Raising another human being can be an incredibly joyful, yet demanding job that comes with a unique set of challenges. 

Feelings of stress and anxiety are entirely normal but these emotions can have quite a detrimental effect on your health and well-being, and consequently your child’s health too. 

For this reason, managing parenting stress and anxiety is imperative. Today's article explores the simple ways you could do just that (link in bio). 

#Parenthood #Motherhood #Fatherhood #Mother #Father #Baby #JustBreatheMag #JustBreathe #Healing #Wellbeing #ConsciousLiving #Happiness #TreatYourself #TakeCare #Selfcare #BodyMind #Holistic #Life #Live #Positivity #Mindset #Lifestyle #LifeIsGood #HealthyLifestyle #HappinessIsAChoice
How strong is your intuition?💚 Intuition is s How strong is your intuition?💚 

Intuition is something that is already within us that simply needs to be uncovered. So, how does one do that? 

Today's article (link in bio) by @thesagemethod highlights the steps that we can take to increase our confidence with our intuition - some simple and others more challenging. 

#JustBreatheMag #JustBreathe #Healing #Wellbeing #ConsciousLiving #Happiness #TreatYourself #TakeCare #Selfcare #BodyMind #Holistic #Life #Live #Positivity #Mindset #Lifestyle #LifeIsGood #HealthyLifestyle #HappinessIsAChoice #Intuition
Have you ever wondered what happens at a soul read Have you ever wondered what happens at a soul reading session? ✨🙏

This enlightening experience involves opening your energies and frequencies for someone to read and expose them; allowing you to achieve a deeper understanding of yourself and your potential, as well as achieve answers to questions that are hidden inside your soul to truly heal.

Today's article (link in bio) takes you behind the scenes of a soul reading at @healinghotels' member @thehouseofaia; a breathtaking progressive retreat nestled in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.

#JustBreatheMag #JustBreathe #Healing #Wellbeing #ConsciousLiving #Happiness #TreatYourself #TakeCare #Selfcare #BodyMind #Holistic #Life #Live #Positivity #Mindset #Lifestyle #LifeIsGood #HealthyLifestyle #HappinessIsAChoice #InnerPeace #SoulReading #soul
“Angels are all around us, all the time, in the “Angels are all around us, all the time, in the very air we breathe,” – Eileen Elias Freeman.😇

Are you someone who sees the same repeating numbers over and over? 

What about white feathers on your path or an overwhelming sense that you are being guided? 

Today's article (link in bio) by @angels_and_amethyst reveals the signs that angels may be communicating with you and the best way to respond. 

#JustBreatheMag #JustBreathe #Healing #Wellbeing #ConsciousLiving #Happiness #TreatYourself #TakeCare #Selfcare #BodyMind #Holistic #Life #Live #Positivity #Mindset #Lifestyle #LifeIsGood #HealthyLifestyle #HappinessIsAChoice #Angel #Angels #spiritual
Load More... Follow on Instagram

About JustBreatheMag

Just Breathe is an online magazine that was created to change minds, habits and hearts on the most important and current topics: health and wellbeing.

Powered by

Healing Hotels of the World Logo

Popular Tags

ageing anxiety Ayurveda balance beauty charity consciousness coronavirus detox diet DIY fear Fitness five elements gratitude happiness healing Healing Hotels HEALING SUMMIT health healthy nutrition inspiration intention interior Life lifestyle me-time Meditation mental health mindfulness new year nutrition podcast recipe self-love self care sleep spirituality stress sustainability transformation Travel weight loss wellbeing yoga

Behind the Scenes

  • Article Submission
  • About Us
  • Contact

Newsletter Signup

* indicates required
Legal Info | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Settings