The Dash

   I was doing a little thinking recently and I realized that the first year that I was diagnosed with TS was pretty much one of the greatest years of my life. I know it sounds crazy to call the year that you were diagnosed with a disease one of the greatest years of your life, but it reallly was for me. I was able to do some really cool things and I was able to meet some really amazing people because of my diagnosis. And I can honestly say that those people that I met and the experiences that I had, along with my diagnosis of TS in general changed my life completely forever.

     I told you in an earlier post about getting to go to the TSSUS conference in Atlanta the year that I was diagnosed and that is how I met Brittany (aka the super-duper amazing person who also writes on this blog with me). I remember we stayed at the Westin hotel in Atlanta which was where the conference was being held and the rooms all had huge windows that you could pretty much walk right out to. And I remember that from my room you could see the Centennial Olympic Fountain and also the CNN building (which was a little harder to see than the fountain, but the point is that you could still see it). I remember looking out that window and staring at the fountain and all of my cares and worries just seemed to disappear. It didn't matter to me that I had literally just been diagnosed with TS a few months ago, all that mattered was looking out the window and appreciating that amazing view. I'm sure you're wondering why I'm writing about staring at a fountain, but I am writing about it because it was a major turning point in my life. From that moment on, I wanted to try to live my life with no worries and live my life to the fullest. Now that was an impossible goal for me to not worry because I am one of the biggest worry-worts on the planet so I changed my goal. I wanted to live each day so that I could keep that feeling of freedom and live my life to the fullest. Now it hasn't been easy, and I admit there are some days that I utterly fail, but I still try, and setting that goal for myself helped me to come to terms with my TS and realize that it is just a speed bump in the road of life, and it wasn't even that big of a speed bump once I actually thought about it.

     In conclusion, on of my English teachers in high school read us this poem and it really inspired me, so I hope that it inspires all of you to think about how you spent your dash. 

 The Dash Poem, by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?