Laurie, what a wonderful idea – a “me” hour every day. Say hi to the cats (I’m a dog person myself – have three.)

Cathy, thanks for the kind comment.

Jo-Ann, I agree. A therapist I went to a few years always corrected me whenever I used the word “normal”. In the end there really is no normal, no?

Kim H., I couldn’t agree more.

Kali, it couldn’t have been said any better – I posted your comment on the front page.

In a blog, you can get support. Sure, it’s from relative strangers in the anonymity of the web…but still, getting that support, and knowing you have people who watch for your entries…that can be a huge boost.

You also get community. Sometimes we just chat with you in your comments, after all – it’s not always support per se, but it’s being able to have conversations about what your illness does with people who get it.

You get suggestions – sometimes it’s a different way to think, sometimes an aid that might help you.

And finally…at some point, you start getting people willing to give you a little tough love when you’ve earned it. Hopefully, what that means is people who listen to what you’re saying you do and gently telling you when you’re being an idiot. Heaven knows, we all need someone willing to do that. And at least this idiot over here is more willing to listen to other people who’ve been there.

I very much agree with what Kim is saying. We have to de-program ourselves from the idea of what strength, productivity, and moving forward mean, and re-write what those words mean in our lives.

It’s difficult to teach yourself to live “in the moment.”

But life really can only be lived in its dailyness.