You get what you get

One of my little kids favorite sayings is "you get what you get and you don't get upset". I think it's a great simple and to the point piece of advice. Sadly it isn't always easy to follow. When you are 6 and you don't get the orange cup you wanted, or you are 4 and you don't get to jump on the trampoline first it is hard to not only accept it, but also not to get upset.
At 37 I'm having a hard time with this simple philosophy about life when things don't go your way. 4 months ago I became disabled due to what weeks later I would find out was MS.  I patiently bided my time waiting for the disability from this attack to go away. I tried everything I could to speed up that recovery; physiotherapy, naturopath, an exercise regime, supplements, acupuncture, massage therapy. I was determined to do everything I could to recovery from my MS attack and get rid of this disability.  I was able to quickly accept the fact that I had an incurable disease, but I was not willing to accept any lingering limitations from my first attack.  
Initially the hardest part was being patient. I am not a patient person and having a constant glaring reminder of what doesn't work like it used to was extremely frustrating. Now I find I a more accepting of the patience needed to get through this, but I realize now my expectations may have to change. The "get what you get" part of my wise children's saying is basically saying you have to accept what life dealt you, but the 2nd part of that saying says"and you don't get upset". How can you not get upset?  I want to get upset and I NEED to get upset. Because of this thinking I've gained an appreciation and understanding for the things that upset my kids. When you are 4 and 6 and things don't go the way you had hoped and bedtime comes before your tv show is over, that is upsetting. I think that while it upsets them, they still accept it and try to make the best of what they are given.
I need to accept that for right now things haven't gone my way and I have to make the best of it. But at the same time I am not going to give up trying to do all I can to lessen this disability.  And I am also going to be upset.
I think I have been very accepting of the diagnosis of my disease. That is because when I was younger and my Mom was diagnosed with the disease she spent many years denying it. Looking back on that I think that hindered her ability to deal with and treat the illness. I will not deny I have MS, I will not refuse to inject the Betaseron when I know that it is proven to slow down the progression of disability. I will be conscious of my stress level, fatigue and diet. I will listen to my body.
 
I will accept the get what you get part of this disease but I will not deny my feelings. I'm going to get upset, be scared, feel angry. And maybe in the middle of all of these feelings I will be lucky enough to have my disability disappear and have the full feeling return in my hand. Until then I am getting closer to accepting that this is maybe the best it will be.