When we have our independence, we have so much, so very, very much.
When my mom had to give up her driver’s license I became aware of all she lost when she handed over that little plastic card that gave her permission to drive. She never drove any more than was absolutely necessary, but she knew she could. She had the freedom to run errands at her leisure. She created her own boundaries, but she knew she had the ability to pick and choose when and where she felt comfortable driving.
Our physical abilities allow each of us a certain amount of independence. When we can put on a comfortable pair of shoes and walk for as long as we choose, we are rich. I know people who would give anything for that simple gift. Back pain, circulatory, heart, debilitating health issues are only a few that come to mind as I run down the list of people I know who would give anything to have the ability to simply walk to the store and back.
I have a friend who battled three different types of cancer. They surgically removed one of the cancers. Another took residence in her body and threatened to slow her down, but with treatment, the success rate was high. She was still optimistic about her future. The third cancer was terminal.
She rolled with the punches and rallied as each diagnosis was handed out. I’m sure there must have been many dark days along the way, but each and every time she was dealt a new diagnosis her stubborn and determined nature was set on putting up a fight and overcoming the odds.
What was the biggest obstacle of all? She stubbed her toe. The toe turned purple. Then black. As the weeks progressed into a month, the rest of her toes followed suit, then her foot. It was a few months before she was diagnosed with Blue Toe Syndrome. She had vascular surgery three times in six months. She would have been lucky if all she lost was the tip of her big toe, because surgery was no longer an option.
This clotting disorder has caused her no end of discomfort and completely upended her life. She couldn't drive, she couldn't stand long enough to cook a meal, she couldn't leave her house on her own and her husband did not want her alone in her own home. She couldn't run out and buy groceries, shop or do anything independently.
Cancer threw my friend’s life into utter turmoil, but she kept getting back up and fought the good fight. The clotting disorder was aided and abetted by the lymphoma she had. That nasty little cancer caused her no end of grief, because it stole her independence.
She felt she had no control over anything in her life. Every time she picked herself up and started fighting, she got knocked back down. Each time, it took a piece of her independence with it.
There is no amount of money in the world that could give my friend back the life she had before all of this began. She would have been grateful for a fraction of the independence she used to have. For her, the freedom to walk out of the door of her home alone became her goal.
When we have our independence, we are rich. Just ask anyone who has lost just a piece of the independence they used to have.
