I hve a brother that's older than me by a few years. So we never really grew up together, we were always in different schools, if I'm in middle school then he's in high school, by the time I got to high school he was off to university. He doesn't have SD.
And I have to admit, growing up, I was jealous and almost angry at the fact why I was the only one with SD. What can I say, I was an unhappy kid. In some ways I almost resented the fact that I was the only one with SD even though we had hte same parents.
But my brother's a great guy, completely clueless about my condition, he'd always thought I just couldn't see very well, he never really knew the extent or how bad my vision really is. I envy him in some ways, for his ability to keep his innocence.
What I'm trying to say is, don't be angry at others for not understanding, or angry at yourself for having SD. Being angry won't solve the problem, nor will it make the disease go away, so why waste a perfectly good life on being angry at the world? I've learned that anger is a very tiresome emotion, it drains and exhausts both mentally and physically, so I'd rather put my energy into more meaningful activities.
It's ironic in a sense, that only after you lose your sight, that you are able to truely see. I'm only 25 this year, yet I've able to see life from a perspective that normally is of someone around their 50's. Learn to see it from different perspectives, and be grateful you are still able to do so much. It's often that we lose the things we take for granted, before realizing how important they are to us. Forgive others for not understanding, because if the position was reversed, I can't be sure I would be any different.
Monday, December 8, 2008
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Good advice here.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, the frustration is worse when your vision loss is invisible. I do not carry a cane or wear sunglasses. Unfortunately, no one can tell that I can not see and oftern react insensitively to unexpected questions or behavior. That causes frequent frustration. Learning to let that go is an important step to a happier life.
Great advice, I'm guilty of having anger toward my mother. I was diagnosed with SD very young and afterwards my mother didn't want to discuss my problem. She stopped going to the optometrist with me because I think she blamed herself. Meanwhile, I'm 12 years old dealing with my disability alone. SD can be very easy to adapt to because the vision loss progression is so slow. Everyone in my family pretended it didn't exists. Now I believe this has pushed me to be more independent and proactive with my condition. To this day my family doesn't concern themselves with it. It's so nice to find people who understand and openly talk about this issue.
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