November is the time when we reflect over our lives. It is a time when we remember and show gratitude for the people, good fortune, and blessings we have experienced throughout the year.
As a CKD patient, I must take this opportunity to show appreciation for dialysis and the CKD community. Dialysis is a gift that gives patients a second chance to continue to pursue and enjoy “Life”. Without it, we would have nothing to be grateful for.
Therefore, I’ve learned to be grateful for the good and appreciate the bad. Being grateful for the good is consciously recognizing the favorable people, things, and opportunities in life you did and did not deserve. That’s rather easy but appreciating the bad is a little harder.
It is consciously recognizing that no matter how bad your situation is, it could be worse. Also, understanding that the “bad” is a challenging opportunity and your response to the challenge can be rewarding.
A challenge produces action, action causes change and change can turn bad into good.
My challenge to you is to continue to be grateful for the good but learn to appreciate the bad. Not just once a year on Thanksgiving but grow to once a month, to once a week, to once a day, to throughout the day. Learn to live a life of gratefulness and realize that without dialysis and the CKD community, we would not have a life to be grateful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Fred Hill
Dialysis Is Not Your Life (Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube)
Kidney Trails 