Читать книгу Above and Beyond - J.S. Dorian - Страница 25

“I am what I am.”

ANONYMOUS

Illness often brings with it changes in physical appearance, from temporary skin rashes and hair loss to permanent scarring. Some of the changes are symptoms of the disease; others, including excisions and amputations, are part of the treatment process.

Whether such changes are short-term or permanent, and whether they are relatively minor or profound, they often create a dilemma for us. We can withdraw from social activities because we self-consciously fear other people’s perceptions and judgments of us. Or, we can work to bolster our flagging self-image and go on living as normally as possible.

Make-up, wigs, jewelry, hats, and flattering clothing, for example, can go a long way toward improving the way we feel about ourselves. If regular exercise is possible, it also can have a dramatically positive impact on self-image.

But a change in attitude, more than anything, can free us from the pain of self-consciousness and lift us from the depths of despair. Our bodies may have changed—we may be scarred or even skeletal—but we are no less now than we ever were. Indeed, we are more, for each day we face our challenges and transcend them.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I may not look the same as before, but I am no less than before.