Fake It ’til you Make It…

…is a helpful life hack at times.  Not that I condone being “fake” in general but there are times when it is helpful to buckle down and imitate confidence until our imitation begins to generate the real deal.  😉  On some levels, I think I’ve been living out this mantra for the past couple of years…especially in the months leading up to my ALS diagnosis when I knew something was “off” but figured it would most certainly get better in time so I kind of “faked” it (or at best “downplayed” it) waiting for the upswing.  Even since my diagnosis, I’ve been able to downplay the debilitating aspects of this disease in public and confidently interact with others regardless of how I was feeling on the inside.  I am, however, crossing that threshold…I can no longer “fake” it.  No matter how hard I try to keep functioning, there is a point in the day when my body just won’t move anymore.  No matter how deep I dig to will myself to keep my mouth moving in a conversation, there comes that moment when my mouth can no longer form the words.  My body has a mind of it’s own.  It’s surreal and I feel like I’m living a scene out of the 50s cult classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” but it IS happening.

This has been made clear to me the past couple of weeks as we’ve had a full calendar of events requiring me to interact with lots of groups of people.  “Being present” isn’t something I want to stop doing but I do feel like I need to start wearing a disclaimer around my neck…

“I may not be able to converse like I used to or express all that I’d like to say to you, I may even stop talking mid-sentence, but I’m here…I’m taking you in…I love that we’re sharing this moment…when you give me a hug, I’m hugging you back…when you tell me ‘I love you’, I’m loving you too.”  

I have a voice generating device that will help me communicate needs and wants as time goes on but I’m not quite sure yet how effective it will be, especially in group settings.  We’ll see.  The point is my days of  “faking it” are long gone and the “hospital gown” that is my life is not only untied at this point but flapping wide open with each gust of wind that seems to expose a new reality in this disease’s progression.  Part of me wants to insulate myself and not confront the humiliation of uncontrolled bodily function but thankfully there’s a bigger part of me that could care less…so I’ll be out and about as long as I possibly can, flapping gown and all, you’ve been warned.  😉

Here are just some of my recent outings:

Although I haven’t felt the need for a hired care giver yet, I have grown increasingly dependent on Rolf and Olivia and I am beyond blessed by their innate ability to (seemingly) effortlessly care for me…especially Olivia.  I ask her to do things for me that no 16 year old should have to do but I ask her because she is more than capable and because I genuinely prefer the way she does things…i.e. she puts my hair up in the best high ponies or french braids and there is an awful lot of hugging and high-fiving that goes on during transfers on and off the toilet.  There is no fuss or drama with this girl and I couldn’t be more proud of her many exceptional qualities!  Her options for the future seem endless to me.  So proud of you little girl!!

As always, I sure do appreciate your prayers…I feel guilty that our friendship is so focused on me and my needs at this point but know my mind is flooded with thoughts of hundreds of people every day and I do pray as I feel led but if you want to send me specific prayer needs, I’ll do my best  to add them to the list. 😉

Love and more love!