Riley Adjacent........Really?????

My Hubby and I were talking the other day about the fact that I am no longer able to work and how it does make my life easier.  I joked and told him that I am not exactly living the "Life of Riley" over here.  He bravely made the statement that is was close to it - you know sort of Riley adjacent.....  What????  I guess to most, myself former self included, it does seem that I have it pretty good.  Now I am surely not whining and complaining because I know it could be so very much worse.  But having said that, I would trade my chronic health issues in a heartbeat, to be healthy and independent, able to come and go and have freedoms that I long ago gave up.  I used to dream of staying at home and cooking and doing homey types of stuff.  It is very different when you have no choice.  It truly changes the dynamic.

 For me at least, having a chronic illness is like playing the wheel of fortune - but instead of dollar amounts the wheel has symptoms, roadblocks, etc. and each day you spin the wheel and see what your issues will be for that day.  Similar to the spoonie theory (Google this if you are unaware) you have limited resources to handle your issues but no choice in what you will deal with on a daily basis.  Some days are uneventful and not so tough, others are full of bumps and fumbles but you get through it and you fight each and every day.  You don't fight because you want to or enjoy the fight - you do it to live the most that you can out of the path you are on.

Yes I do get to stay at home - no I don't get to do all of those homey things I dreamed of most days because I am either too tired, too confused, too sick or in too much pain.  Every now and then I do get lucky.  I don't have a car any longer and have no control over when or if I leave my house and I struggle with my lack of control in my life each and every day.  It is easier now than it used to be and I am so very fortunate that I live in a time where social media and things like having a Kindle and Pinterest can keep me occupied for hours on end.  I can escape to my little Nirvana in my mind and be running, skipping, dancing - all things I can't do - for hours on end.  I am so very blessed and fortunate to have a few good friends who understand and a Hubby who tries.  I am so blessed that I have a roof over my head and a little corner to call my own.  Many in my situation are not as fortunate. 

Don't misunderstand - this post is in no way a complaint - just my rebuttal to all of those critics whom I allow to make me feel less than I am or that I can be, because I have been forced to make the difficult decision to chose a different path - not the easier one but maybe the one less traveled.  If you are fortunate enough to be healthy and active then please don't waste your time judging others who are not.  Life changes in a heartbeat and not one of us knows when our life may no longer be the same.