Something inspirational: "One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion." SIMONE de BEAUVOIR
Something inspirational:
"One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion."
Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.
She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges.
In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines.
Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.
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Thanks Tim. Yes, I think we sometimes stagnate and let others live our lives for us, or as you say, we plant enough flowers to at least live our lives.
Unconsciously, we do things without understanding we're doing those things. We will never make connections without consciously making those connections and those connections are important.
It's also important we place a value on ourselves, then help others in that order. I can't help think that the world would be a better place if we lead by example in this way.
It seems to be every man for himself, regardless of who is standing next to him. Truly sad.
Yes, it has been very hard for me to find value in my life, since I haven't done as much as I was capable of when I should have.
I'm sorely reminded of this when things happen like my dad passing away and realizing how much he sold himself short. He was a very smart man, but he had a very troubled soul which got the better of him, because he didn't get the help he needed when he should have.
He was also dealing with our mother, who was never happy no matter what he did. She had an extreme amount of untreated mental health issues too and really shouldn't have had children, but unfortunately making babies is far too easy.
It would have been fantastic for them to have valued our lives a lot more than they did, but they didn't and that's something that can't be changed. What I can do now is try to make the best of what time I have left to do the things that I can, rather than to continue focusing on the things I can't.
I spent a lifetime watching my parents do that and it ended very badly with both of them ending up with dementia, unable to do the simplest things for themselves. I can actually understand why Robin Williams committed suicide rather than face having to exist that way.
When all is said and done, I just want my life to have meant something. I don't want to end up as one of those poor souls totally forgotten in a nursing home praying for death to come.
I don't want to suffer in silence, like my dad did for so long, accepting the bare minimum out of life and just barely existing instead of really living. There is time left for me to do a few of the things that I really wanted to do before my time comes.
Thanks Randy. The tragedy is that there are things we can do to help ourselves bring value to our lives and that of other people, but not so easy to understand where to start.
But as they say we have choices. We can choose to change so that even through our darkest days (and I've had my fair share) we change. I think it sad that there isn't always the help out there for people who need it, or at least easily accessible. But we must look and find the help if we can't do it for ourselves. The key is not to give up.
Although you haven't quite made the transition yourself, you understand a lot more about your life and where you are, than your dad did and that allows us to at least think about and change. We must be instrumental. We must want to make the changes, and we must find ways to do that.
As to value of our life and of others, that will come when we change.
It's so easy to be consumed by this hard trench, called life. When bad things are coming at us all at the same time from 6 different directions. But for me, I've been practicing and reminding myself where my flowers bloom.
My children, who are healthy and beautiful are perfect to me. Whatever crisis we're going through, there's someone in the world that'd do anything to change lives.
Count out blessings and love all while we're here, because we aren't getting out of this world alive, so soak it up as much as possible!
Thanks Bonnie. You're right. Where the home is, the heart is. We should all be counting our blessings, looking at what we have, instead of what we'd like or think we deserve to have.
What we look like or are on the outside doesn't matter. What matters is what we are on the inside and how we relate to others.
Acceptance is a good thing, we must all come to accept our differences and embrace each other and our world, before it's too late.
While I'm not a healer, I realize that planting enough flowers can make a difference. It also helps me save my own life.
Thanks Tim. Yes, I think we sometimes stagnate and let others live our lives for us, or as you say, we plant enough flowers to at least live our lives.
Unconsciously, we do things without understanding we're doing those things. We will never make connections without consciously making those connections and those connections are important.
It's also important we place a value on ourselves, then help others in that order. I can't help think that the world would be a better place if we lead by example in this way.
It seems to be every man for himself, regardless of who is standing next to him. Truly sad.
Yes, it has been very hard for me to find value in my life, since I haven't done as much as I was capable of when I should have.
I'm sorely reminded of this when things happen like my dad passing away and realizing how much he sold himself short. He was a very smart man, but he had a very troubled soul which got the better of him, because he didn't get the help he needed when he should have.
He was also dealing with our mother, who was never happy no matter what he did. She had an extreme amount of untreated mental health issues too and really shouldn't have had children, but unfortunately making babies is far too easy.
It would have been fantastic for them to have valued our lives a lot more than they did, but they didn't and that's something that can't be changed. What I can do now is try to make the best of what time I have left to do the things that I can, rather than to continue focusing on the things I can't.
I spent a lifetime watching my parents do that and it ended very badly with both of them ending up with dementia, unable to do the simplest things for themselves. I can actually understand why Robin Williams committed suicide rather than face having to exist that way.
When all is said and done, I just want my life to have meant something. I don't want to end up as one of those poor souls totally forgotten in a nursing home praying for death to come.
I don't want to suffer in silence, like my dad did for so long, accepting the bare minimum out of life and just barely existing instead of really living. There is time left for me to do a few of the things that I really wanted to do before my time comes.
Thanks Randy. The tragedy is that there are things we can do to help ourselves bring value to our lives and that of other people, but not so easy to understand where to start.
But as they say we have choices. We can choose to change so that even through our darkest days (and I've had my fair share) we change. I think it sad that there isn't always the help out there for people who need it, or at least easily accessible. But we must look and find the help if we can't do it for ourselves. The key is not to give up.
Although you haven't quite made the transition yourself, you understand a lot more about your life and where you are, than your dad did and that allows us to at least think about and change. We must be instrumental. We must want to make the changes, and we must find ways to do that.
As to value of our life and of others, that will come when we change.
It's so easy to be consumed by this hard trench, called life. When bad things are coming at us all at the same time from 6 different directions. But for me, I've been practicing and reminding myself where my flowers bloom.
My children, who are healthy and beautiful are perfect to me. Whatever crisis we're going through, there's someone in the world that'd do anything to change lives.
Count out blessings and love all while we're here, because we aren't getting out of this world alive, so soak it up as much as possible!
Thanks Bonnie. You're right. Where the home is, the heart is. We should all be counting our blessings, looking at what we have, instead of what we'd like or think we deserve to have.
What we look like or are on the outside doesn't matter. What matters is what we are on the inside and how we relate to others.
Acceptance is a good thing, we must all come to accept our differences and embrace each other and our world, before it's too late.