Exercise (part 1)

On this Thankful Thursday, I’m very grateful for exercise. I exercised my brain by accomplishing my college degree, then two masters and finally a doctoral degree from Seattle University. My plan, which hatched during the late eighties, was to become “someday” a high school principal. I learned at that time, as a woman, I’d need to complete a doctoral degree if I wanted to be a high school principal.

     So, I set about accomplishing my goals. All the education goals were completed by 2005 when I was forty-one. As I walked in my doctoral graduation, I had no idea that a soon to be discovered disease of Multiple Sclerosis was about to surprise all my goals. The surprise came crashing into my world. My life was now rocked by two significant M.S. attacks; which resulted in me losing my peripheral sight, my walking abilities, my handwriting, my embarrassing loss of bowel functions, my professional jobs as an Elementary principal and University professor, and my marriage which had been crumbling for years. A weeklong hospital visit pumped my body full of steroids to weaken the attack.  Most of my recovery, took 10 years with consistent exercise to regain full function again.

     I spent the first year after my diagnosis crying. I cried every week at church. I cried for all that I was losing. I cried about my tomorrow and I cried about my every day. Then after a year of crying, I was sick of being sad and depressed, so I decided to claim my new life.

— to be continued next week on Thankful Thursday