Back before I was diagnosed with MS I knew something was up. My legs tingled all the time, when I ran my legs didn’t always listen to me, I had a tough going up and down the mountain side during a 12 mile mud run at a ski resort, and I had balance issues while working on the last Extreme Makeover, Home Edition house. There’s a common thread in all that – I knew something was wrong because I was out there doing stuff.
Would I have known something was wrong regardless of whether I was active or not? Probably, but only because of the constant tingling. If my symptoms were only loss of strength and balance and I wasn’t active it would have taken a lot longer to know something was up, which would not have been good. Like most things, MS is a disease that the early it’s detected the better. What would have happened if I hadn’t been active and not had it checked out earlier? Who knows, I could be at 60-70% strength and balance rather than the 80-85% I am at now. But because I was active I knew something wasn’t right quicker than if I weren’t active.
In all areas of life early detection of what’s wrong is beneficial. And a large part of early detection of the wrong is by already doing what is right. You can never know how much knowledge is out there if you never learn. At the same time you also may not know if you have cloudy thinking if you never push your mind. You can never get in shape if you never exercise but you also may never know you have a hernia if you just sit all day. Your body will let you know when something is wrong but like a car you can’t know if the starter is busted if you never try to start the car.
Getting out there, being active, trying new things, seeing new places, meeting new people – these are all great, positive avenues to build a better you. Yet they also help in showing you where you may lack. By meeting new people you may learn you lack social skills, by trying new things you may learn you are very timid, by being active you may learn how slothful you are. You come to know what’s wrong by doing what’s right.
Knowing what’s wrong is a great thing, it means you now have a chance to change your circumstances or path. It could be the difference between losing 15% or 40% of your strength and balance. It could be the difference between clearing out a blood clot or dying from it. It could be the difference between being miserable or content. The choice is yours – to not do and not know or to do and know. Choose to do and know!
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It!