We all laughed at how, after greeting the dam and getting to know her, Sadie raised her head above level and didn’t even acknowledge the litter of puppies that were now running around her like a swarm on a hive. She was acting as if they weren’t really there if she couldn’t see them — a coping mechanism with which many with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be relatively familiar.
Selective Ignoring of Things Can Be Very Helpful
It reminded me of an old sailor’s trick to avoid (if not always evade) becoming seasick, which I learned as a ship’s navigator in the U.S. Coast Guard. To avoid the rocking and rolling sensation of the ship beneath your feet, it is important to keep your eyes on the horizon. And isn’t that about as keen an observation about living with multiple sclerosis as I’ve stumbled upon in a long time? If we level our gaze over the affray of roiling sea and its effect on our perception of stability, we are better able to get on with the tasks required of us all. It’s a way of tricking the mind that our world isn’t in the uneven state of fluctuation that MS and a stormy sea can bring to it.
Another Way Sailing Is Like Living With MS
This isn’t the only seagoing analogy I’ve found for living with MS. I often tell people that the reason I’m fatigued beyond expression is that, as when standing on a boat all day, my body has been constantly working to keep me upright every moment of every minute. Many people can relate to the feeling of exhaustion of a day on a boat.
Taking the Long View Keeps Annoyances in Perspective
As one who has painted the waves with his breakfast, I can tell you that keeping an eye above it all will not always work. Just as a change in wind or wave can send even the most experienced sailor to the rail, my MS and its tendency to sneak up and shift the deck beneath me can, and often does, bring me up short. But by focusing on the bigger picture — the relative calm in the distance — I have found that I weather the stormy days far better than when I allow my concentration to be agitated by MS. Sometimes, no matter how well I think I’m managing a particular rough patch of MS, the waves still break over the bow, soak me to the skin, and threaten to toss me overboard completely. And, like Sadie trying to avoid the rush of clumsy puppies, I have learned to live with most of the annoyances that have come home with me no matter how hard I’ve tried to avoid them. And, too, like Sadie, I have learned to growl at them less. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
