Update:
On Monday, I
was very glad to learn that I am finally getting a new pair of glasses. I’ve needed a new pair for over a year; but
because of the fluctuations in my vision due to macular degeneration they’ve
wanted me to wait to see how well I would respond to treatment. I’ve really struggled with my vision over the
past year. For example, I really haven’t
been able to read books for the last year.
Instead, I get all of my books on Kindle and enlarge the font size so I
can read them. I have tri-focal lens and for a number of months I’ve had to
look through the wrong part of my lens to see.
The top lens is for distance, the middle lens is for working on a
computer, and the bottom lens is for reading.
I’ve been tilting my head back to look through the middle lens for
distance and using the bottom lens for the computer. Consequently, I’ve had a neck ache almost every
day. The prescription for my right eye
has changed drastically, so the new glasses will be a vast improvement. I’m looking forward to getting them sometime in
the next week.
I go in to
my prosthetist’s office tomorrow to discuss options for a change in my below-the-knee
prosthesis. The goal will be to take
some of the weight bearing responsibility off of my left knee due to damage it’s
sustained. Doing that will reduce the
pain I’ve been experiencing, hopefully allow me to be more active and spend
more time wearing my prosthesis. There
are so many options with so many pros/cons for each system that it is hard to
know the right way to go. After
discussing the options, I’ll be relying heavily upon the recommendation of my
prosthetist. I’ve also asked my wife to go with me to this
appointment, so she is taking time off of work to do so. I’m praying that we make the right decision
and get the desired results.
Thought for the Day:
“The
psychologist and philosopher William James, who taught at Harvard University,
said that one of the greatest discoveries of this generation was the
realization that by changing our attitudes, we can change our lives.”
“Whether you
are aware of it or not, you view the world through your own unique perspectives
or attitudes based on your beliefs of what is good or bad, wrong or right, fair
or unfair. Your decisions and actions
are based on those attitudes so if what you’ve been doing isn’t working, you
have the power to adjust your attitude and change your life.”
“Think of
your attitude as the remote control of your television set. If the program you are watching doesn’t do
anything for you, then you simply grab the remote and change it. You can adjust your attitude in much the same
way when you aren’t getting the results you want, no matter what challenges you
encounter.”
“When you
experience a tragedy or a personal crisis, it’s perfectly normal and probably
healthy to go through stages of fear and anger and sadness, but at some point
we all have to say; ‘I’m still here. Do
I want to spend the rest of my life wallowing in misery, or do I want to rise above
what happened to me and pursue my dreams?’”
“…you and I
may have absolutely no control over what happens to us, but we can control how
we respond.” [Nick Vujicic, Life Without
Limits].
Changing
your attitude can be hard work; but it can be done. And it should be done; especially if you are
always depressed, angered, or less than content. Why would you want to let circumstances
outside of your control rule your life?
One method
for changing your attitude is called ‘reframing.’ If you are at the airport and your flight has
been delayed, instead of becoming upset, you reframe the incident. “There was probably some mechanical failure
that they are fixing. I’d rather be
sitting in the airport waiting instead of being stuck on the plane
waiting. I’m glad they found this
problem while we were still on the ground!”
Last week,
my wife and I went out to dinner for our anniversary. I had ordered a delicious steak and had boxed
most of it up to take home to enjoy the following day. As we got out of the truck after driving
home, I asked my wife where my leftovers were.
We realized that we had walked off and left them on our table in the
restaurant. All that glorious food
gone! I was frustrated and unhappy. After I had voiced my displeasure several
times, my wife wisely said, “Don’t let it ruin the rest of our evening. Let it go!”
I could have continued on and started placing blame upon who forgot to
grab the box or how much money was wasted on buying the steak, etc. The reality was that there was nothing that
would change the painful truth after the fact.
I had a choice of rehashing the mistake and allowing it to upset me or
just shrug my shoulders and let it go.
I’m certain
that each of us has faced something more serious than forgotten leftovers--things
that could get our blood boiling, give us an upset stomach, or headache just
thinking about it. But why should we let
those things control us?
Let’s shake
it off. Stop dwelling on it. Find the silver lining. Choose to think about something else. Our attitudes require continually maintenance
to function flawlessly. Invest the time
and energy that you need to keep the right attitude.
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