This beautiful Easter afternoon, after putting a lasagna together for dinner and prepping some fruits and veggies for the week, I carved out an hour to relax and read this month's Oprah Magazine, a guilty pleasure. In one of the features, Oprah asked several high-profile people to write a letter of advice to their younger-selves. I found Michael J. Fox's letter especially poignant and a testament to the lessons learned from living with a chronic illness. It is now hanging on my fridge as a daily reminder. Here it is (the italics are mine):
Dear Michael,
When the time comes to chase your dreams, and it will, they may seem elusive; but know you won't catch them all at once. Just one challenge at a time.
When success comes, and it will, don't gobble it up - savor and share it, and it will last.
When love comes, and it will, don't bury it in expectation and projection - be prepared to fall in love all over again every day.
When the unexpected and inconceivable intrudes on life, and it will, deal with life's actual events - don't obsess about perceived eventualities.
Relax - enjoy the ride.
Michael J. Fox,
50, actor and activist
I want to quote one other accomplished person from this article whose words rang true for me. I needed to hear this now as the dynamics at my job are changing and new opportunities just might come along because of it. As anyone with Meniere's knows, we wake up every morning wondering if we will be able to accomplish everything we set out to do, both in the immediate future and in the months and years to come. Cecile Richards, 54, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, wrote, in part, to herself (again, I added the italics):
"Most important, never turn down an opportunity. There's always going to be a reason to say no: You don't have the right clothes, the right experience, the right connections. Learn to say yes anyway."
Or you might have Meniere's.
