Blessings

I aim to make blessings a recurring theme in my blog, just as it has been a recurring theme in my life.

As I state in my profile, “I am burdened with much, but blessed with more”. I know that I would not be alive today were it not for my positive attitude. I am absolutely convinced of the power of positive thinking. And while that power alone will not cure my disease (or any other), its force cannot be underestimated.

I am also convinced of the connection between mind and body. I know that when I allow myself to get down or discouraged, my physical symptoms worsen. Conversely, when I think positively and carry an optimistic worldview, I actually feel better. My disease is still there, but I feel empowered to conquer it.

Each of us has our own personal reality. Within this reality are things that cannot be changed, no matter what we do or how hard we try to change them. For example, CF is part of my reality. I wage a battle against my disease every day; I fight the good fight and play the role of good soldier. But no matter how hard I fight, I can’t rid myself of this enemy inside me. Hopefully a cure for CF will be found in my lifetime. I am hopeful and confident that this will be the case, but until then, CF is part of my life, like it or not.

This brings me to an important point. When you have a part of your reality that cannot be changed, it is up to you to find the silver lining(s). You must count your blessings. And I believe we always have blessings, however few or infrequent they may be. The key is to recognize them and to be thankful for them. Even though you may not be able to control certain parts of your reality, you can always control your response to them.

Consider the proverbial glass half full/glass half empty question. If you think about it, both answers are correct. The glass is indeed half full. And yet, the glass is also clearly half empty. Since both are correct, the real question then is which answer do you choose? You must choose half full. This answer is not only correct; it is the only path to happiness.

I try my best to count my (many) blessings each and every day of my life. I’m pretty certain that there have been days when I failed to do so. After all, I’m only human. But I know how lucky I am. I truly do.

Several weeks ago I drove cross-country from Arizona back to my home state of Massachusetts. I was on the road for five days and I had a lot of time to do a lot of thinking. I thought about many things. I thought about how lucky I was to be able to make this trip. I thought about how lucky I was to have lived (and survived) the past seven years in Arizona, far away from a reliable support system. I know that there are people with CF who have not been so lucky. I know that there are people like me, born around the same time as I was born (or later), who fought their own valiant battles against CF but are no longer alive to tell their story.

A cross-country road trip is the perfect means by which to experience the beauty of America first-hand. There is so much beauty in America. There is so much beauty in the world. There is so much goodness in the world. And I am so lucky to still be alive at 37, a full quarter century after the “expiration date” the doctors had set for me. I am so lucky to be able to experience all of this beauty and goodness.

Genesis

This inaugural post marks the beginning of my blog.

I am a 37-year-old (soon to be 38) survivor of cystic fibrosis (CF). The title of my blog, "MoreThan84", is a direct reference to my survival. Forty-eight hours after my birth in 1972, I was diagnosed with CF. At that time, the doctors told my mother that I would not live more than twelve years (i.e. not beyond 1984). But I'm still here...hence, "MoreThan84".

My primary objective in writing this blog is to help people, specifically those battling CF. I hope that by sharing my personal experiences and the knowledge that I have acquired while fighting this deadly disease, I can serve as a source of hope and inspiration to others with CF. I am especially excited about the prospect of helping those younger than I; I want them to know that they can live a full, rich life and that there is indeed good reason to be optimistic.

I welcome "followers" of my blog, and also welcome comments, questions, suggestions, thoughts and ideas from readers. I hope that my blog can be of some value and that it can make a positive impact in the lives of others.

JFK
July 20, 2010