Friends,
Thank you for all the kind and heartfelt words about last weekâs e-mail. That was inspired by one of our friends with MS sharing how she felt with losing more of her mobility. I really needed to hear that perpsective. She stated she probably wasnât the only one feeling that way and based on the feedback and comments I received, she was spot on. Some people thought I was writing that e-mail to them.
So, as our MS gets more challenging, what else can we do to stay positive and not get so frustrated? Thatâs kind of a tough question. One of the hardest things for me to learn is that itâs impossible for other people to feel how Iâm feeling. I have these MS challenges going on in my body and in my mind. Sometimes people think things are ok when theyâre really challenging. Iâm seeing it from my challenging perspective and they âtryâ to be compassionate and understanding. I have to keep in mind that itâs âimpossibleâ for them to truly feel what Iâm feeling or how Iâm feeling. Itâs not right for me to expect that from them. Does this make any sense? People want to help, they really do. The better I communicate how Iâm feeling, the closer we can get to understanding what we can do to help each other. For me, communicating how Iâm feeling is hard to do. I just want these MS challenges to go away.
This goes both ways. If we try to put ourselves in the shoes of a caregiver or someone thatâs trying to help us and really look at it from their perspective, we may do or say things a little differently. We also need to keep in my that itâs impossible for us to know how theyâre feeling.
So, getting back to the question of what else we can do to stay positive and not get so frustrated? We can be grateful, people really do want to help, we can allow them to help and be thankful for what they do. I know we all want to be independent and itâs hard to accept help. If we freely accept help when itâs available and be thankful for the help, others will find joy and feel good about helping us. Letâs allow them to have that joy and not take it away from them by being stubborn and independent all the time. I personally really need to work on this as itâs not easy for me to accept help. If I keep in mind that allowing others to help brings joy to them, I can accept the help much more freely.
Another thing we can do is be a great listener. Again, I need to personally work on this. We donât need to be able to move while weâre listening. If we can practice listening on a level that we can truly see and feel the other personâs perspective, we can make a big difference in the way they feel. We can also be kind. What would happen if we all listened well and were kind. How do you think our relationship with that person would be? We experience a lot of listening and kindness with our MS Just Keep Moving family. Iâm thankful for that!
We can also accept and love unconditionally, share, smile, crack jokes, laugh, share ideas, help each other, etc. even if we canât move. We have so many people in our MS Just Keep Moving family that are really challenged with their MS symptoms (which is putting it mildly) that do just that.  They come and they show us how to do all that so naturally because thatâs who they are. They are showing us how to truly âLiveâ with their MS challenges despite the severity of them. Iâm so thankful to be a small part of all this love and understanding thatâs shared. So inspirational!
Ok, enough of that for now. I donât know if you saw the sunset tonight. Many of you live in town and itâs blocked by houses. I was looking at the clouds tonight as the sun was setting and thought I should go out take another picture of it to share with you. Again, I took a little wooden cross out with me and set it on a fence post. I was able to enjoy another beautiful sunset. I just thought I would share it with you. When we look for beauty, itâs there.
Weâll be getting together again from 9:00am â noon on Wednesday and Friday morning at the gym. Dr Becky Thomas and her physical therapy assistance students from Bryant Stratton College will be here again on Wednesday. I hope youâll join us!
Wisconsin Metal Parts â Westmound Building
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Waukesha, WI 53186
We realize the virus is not gone yet. In fact, the numbers are very concerning again. Many of us have either had COVID or have been vaccinated or both. With the numbers going up, we have more people wearing masks again. Thank you for doing that!
At this time, weâre leaving wearing a mask up to you to make good decisions. If you have concerns, please wear a mask. Either way, please be respectful. Thank you for being so understanding, cooperative and respectful through this entire pandemic. I wish we didnât have to worry about it but itâs reality at this time.
One of the most important things you can do is to stay home if you have any symptoms or know youâve been exposed to someone with the virus. Please donât come until your symptoms go away. Letâs also give each other some space when talking to one another and continue wiping the machines down before and after you use them with disinfectant. Letâs stay safe!
It looks like weâll have fairly nice weather for our Friday morning bike ride again this week. It might be a little cool when we start so dress accordingly. As we get into the fall, every week we get to ride together is a bonus. Weâll continue riding as long as the weather is 45 degrees or higher @ 7:00am and itâs not raining. It might be 43 this Friday morning when we start and will warm up while weâre riding. Close enoughâŚletâs ride. I hope youâll join us!
Weâll be meeting Friday morning at 7:00am at Nettesheim Park in Pewaukee. Itâs on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street. The GPS address is: N26W27495 Prospect Ave, Pewaukee, WI 53072. Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00 as possible. Weâll ride until about 8:45.
If you need me to bring a trike or a tandem for you, please let me know and I will bring them.
If youâd like to ride but donât know how youâd do it, please let me know. Weâll do our best to figure out a way to get you riding. We get pretty creativeđ.
Ricky Heldt will be here on Wednesday and Friday again this week doing Tai Massage. Many of you have reported making great progress with chronic pain relief, range of motion, walking better and a new sense of hope when Ricky does his magic to you. Please keep in mind that consistency is key. We need consistency to realize the benefits long term. Thatâs why weâre having Ricky here both Wednesday and Friday mornings. We want you to have long term relief. Ricky will have a sign up sheet based on first come first served. You can pick the time slot that works for you. I highly encourage you to take advantage of Rickyâs Tai Massages each day and sign up for your time slot as soon as you get there.
Last week, our prayer group was once againâŚpowerful! I just love the way we share, pray together and witness prayers being answered weekly. Thanks goes to God and to everyone that joins us.
Our prayer group will be in person at the gym as well as on zoom this week at 11:00am on Wednesday. Weâll get together and share, talk, listen, give thanks and pray however God leads us.
MS – Just Keep Moving Prayer Group
Wednesdays @ 11:00am
Join Zoom Meeting with this link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82689557013?pwd=NzNEL0ExYkpSdnE5RllCQXlJeVo1UT09
Meeting ID: 826 8955 7013
Passcode: keepmoving
We had a fun call with Adam again this afternoon on his inspirational zoom call. Weâll be doing it again next Tuesday. Please join us if you canâŚthank you!
Inspirational Humor with Adam Wollert
Tuesdays @ 1:30PM
Hereâs the link to join usâŚI hope you do!
Join Zoom Meeting with this link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9431389152?pwd=bWlYbFNaazVnM1M1cWxWMitlODdXUT09
Meeting ID: 943 138 9152
Passcode: 3qP2hu
Phone:Â Â 1-312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 943 138 9152
I encourage you to share a smile with someone. Perhaps you could give someone a call that you havenât talked with for a while just to see how theyâre doing. We all could use a little extra love and encouragement during these times.
MS is tough. Letâs stay calm, focused, healthy, flexible, have faith and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day as we make good choices. Better days are ahead.
In God We Trust!
Dan