Welcome to Gaia! ::

"When I was 19, my life seemed to have fallen apart: I was bedridden, unable to move my own limbs most of the time, had to give up university and work, diagnosed with a rare and terrifying illness, and was told my life would “only get worse.” I couldn’t even imagine worse. Unable to get out of bed most days I spent what little time I wasn’t sleeping thinking, praying, and reflecting. “This can’t be the totality of my life,” I often thought, desperately wanting to have a more “normal” existence, go to school, earn a living, and be a contributing human being. Now, most of you may already realize that the story gets better because I’m sitting here writing this blog and have authored six books as well. That experience took my life in a direction I could never have predicted and taught me so many valuable lessons. Here are some of the things I learned:

1. My self worth has little to do with how much I earn, how much I know, or how much I do.

2. Connection with one’s soul is inherently valuable.

3. Now that I can work, I am SOOOOO grateful and express this gratitude regularly. How wonderful it is to express my soul’s purpose through my work.

4. What a joy it is to be able to get out of bed every morning.

5. How wonderful it is to nourish my body with healthy foods–they played a significant role in my recovery.

6. I am a contributing human being as long as I am expressing my soul, its light and love, even if it is only in a positive thought or a smile.

7. To stop thinking of the things “I can’t do” and focus on the many things “I can do.” I heard an interview with a writer who became disabled from an accident. He said, “before the accident I could do 10,000 things. Now, I can do 9,000 things. It’s incredible to be able to do 9,000 things.”

8. What a miracle life is in all its myriad forms.

9. To stop judging myself against someone else’s capabilities, beauty, skills, or other attributes. I am a powerful, beautiful, and worthwhile human being because I choose to express my soul.

10. What bliss it is to be able to put my arms around my husband and hold him. The body that I once cursed now gives me great joy. How incredible it is to express my soul through my body."
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-lessons-i-learned-from-illness.html