On The Road To Being a Better Person

On my way to accepting the challenges that God is giving me, I realized that if I were a better person, a person with more faith, this would come naturally or at least easier. So I googled integrity, ethics, self confidence, etc and found some sites where they give tips on how to be a person of integrity. I printed some of them and cut out the tips I liked and have them in an envelope at my desk at work and everyday (third day today) I take one randomly and leave it on my desk so I can re-read it throughout the day. Today’s tip is quite powerful and I believe was selected by God for me.

“Self confident people don’t live in the ‘victim’ position. They turn unfortunate events into a challenge, remembering to be grateful for the little things”.

Today I am grateful for my neighbor Jenny that thinks of me when she has extra peppers and makes me home made bread. It sounds little but the impact is very big.

How To Live a Long and Happy Life

These are obvious but it took me reading them to be reminded. I would also add that anonymous acts of kindness go a long way in making you feel like a rockstar.

1. Compliment three people everyday
2. Watch a sunrise
3. Be the first to say "Hello"
4. Live beneath your means
5. Treat everyone as you want to be treated
6. Never give up on anybody; miracles happen
7. Forget the Jones’s
8. Remember someone’s name
9. Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage
10. Be tough-minded, but tender hearted
11. Be kinder than you have to be
12. Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated
13. Keep your promises
14. Learn to show cheerfulness even when you don’t feel it
15. Remember that overnight success usually takes 15 years
16. Leave everything better than you found it
17. Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do
18. When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone’s day
19. Don’t rain on other people’s parades
20. Don’t waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them
21. Keep some things to yourself and don’t promote havoc by backstabbing people you love

Latest From the Mayo

I updated my last post with the exact spelling of my leg pain diagnosis. Its Meralgia Paresthetica. Wiki describes it as 'Injury to the nerve that extends from the thigh to the spinal column resulting in acute and disabling pain.' You can check out the link at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meralgia_paraesthetica if you are so inclined. Essentially they said that it is difficult to treat but that treatments include injections and drugs. Surgery is a poor option as it has unfavorable results. I did get an injection the time before and am hopeful it will work. He said it could take up to 2 weeks.

In addition to this information, the neurologist also said that I have a bulging disc, or rather 2 of them, in my neck. One is moderate and the other is severe. Neither of them are currently impacting my spine but someday the severe one could whereby I would lose my bladder and bowels and be paralyzed from the wasit or chest down and would have to go to the emergency room for imediate surgery. I also have some 'blip' in my brain that showed up on MRI that he said means nothing.

I am trying very hard to not feel sorry for myself but its not working. I dont know why I have all this crap to deal with and am feeling so frustrated and angry and depressed. The good thing I guess is that he confirmed that I didnt have MS, which was my worst fear.

I am going to spend my entire weekend stamping and not think about it. I finally found my camera so I will post some pictures later.

thanks to all my friends, I appreciate you more than you know.