Uncommon Commonality

I recognize that through my illness I have grown as a person, and I have learned a great deal - about myself, life, the value of health (oh how I treasure the good moments) and the common elements in all our lives, as well as the differences.

The other day, a woman with whom I spent some time last summer at a Montessori middle school wrote me that someone close to her is dealing with chronic pain and illness. An old friend confided that she has been dealing with chronic pain for years. Another is in the process of being diagnosed with Fibro. I can't count the number of people I know on anti-depressants or anxiety medication. Every day, I read on blogs and forums the stories of people who are in similar situations. And it makes me realize how common it is to be unwell (although the stigma remains) how valuable we all are, and how fragile.

The more I speak, write and search, the more I realize how many of us are impacted by all kinds of hardships. There is such strength to be found in that - in the way each of us handles it, lives with it, thrives in spite of it.

It doesn't matter how sick we are. What matters is that we are out there, connecting, seeking each other out, and giving and receiving much needed support. It is empowering, and inspiring.

I started this blog, more than anything, as a therapeutic release. It has served that purpose very well, but it has done much more. It has given me strength and confidence to write, and know that my words are out there in cyberspace, for anyone to find. I am strengthened by you, when you read my words, and when they touch you. I never expected that.

I never expected to find so many people in similar situations (it's nice to know I'm not special in that sense) or to encounter so much hope in people who are far more ill than I. It has been a lovely surprise.