If Love Were Money...

I decided I needed to rest my brain.  I think I bruised it writing that last post, and when I'm having conversations with my cats and expecting them to answer, it's time to take a break!  So instead of writing an in depth story that makes me frustrated and teary-eyed, I'm just going to relax and share some of my random thoughts with you.  I also wanted to try out the 'pic' option on this blogging program...my father puts different pics in his posts all the time, and I certainly can't let the competition get the best of me, now can I??  So bear with me...now onto the random thoughts!

Imagine if America's currency was love?  To increase your income, there would be no more rushing out the door with a cup of cold coffee to fight your way through traffic--just to get to a job you hate (and to make that weekly paycheck.)  Instead, you would call your friends and family to share how much they mean to you...or hold your child in your arms and listen to their stories about school...or throw that tattered tennis ball for your golden retriever...or maybe you could just lift your head up and smile at a stranger, and say "Good Morning!"  Just imagine if every time you had a kind thought or a kind word for someone, the amount in your bank account increased?  Think what it would be like--instead of striving to hurry through life, gathering all the material goods you can grab so others can see how much you have, you slowed down and appreciated what you had already?  And the more love and positive energy you spread to others, the more 'money' in your pocket?  It would work both ways, of course...just like our money does now.  Today, if you are rude to your boss and lazy on the job, you get fired...if you max out your credit cards in order to gather all those 'goods' you end up in debt.  If love were money, then hate would put you in debt...negativity and rudeness to others would make those bills grow larger, while your bank account would slowly deplete.  Putting your child off because you are 'too busy' to listen to them right now would be like paying a really big bill...ignoring your family pet because you can't be bothered to throw that beloved ball would make even more money disappear!  If love were money, how would you fair?  Would you feel safe and secure, with an overflowing bank account?  Or would you be bouncing checks left and right, never seeming to catch up?  Wouldn't it be great if you were remembered for being RICH because of the love in your heart and how much joy you were able to spread, not for all your old possessions collecting dust on someone's shelves?

I think it should be considered fashionable to be physically different.  People magazine could write an article regaling us with the latest and greatest in leg-brace 'club wear'...bearing tawdry pictures of the rich and famous, sporting this month's fashionable AFO's.  SHAPE magazine could post the top 10 ways to put on those extra 30 pounds, and Julia Roberts could share a story from childhood with Reader's Digest, about the time when she got those thick glasses, and the boys wouldn't leave her alone!  Kids in schools across the country would be standing in line, waiting to be chosen for a team in gym class--all hoping the boy in the wheelchair would call their name first!   The popular kids would be individuals...in all shapes and sizes.  And the 'in' thing to do would be to find your own individual style, and be proud of your differences!  To grow up and become a famous model in one of those magazines you would have to eat regular meals, wear comfy sweats and shop at Walmart.  Businesses would seek out those with disabilities, who would be treated like experts on being different, and revered for their knowledge.  And all of these differences would be accepted...individuality would be something to strive for!

If you had a wand like Harry Potter and could make changes in your life, what would you do first?  Would you change the physical things about yourself, or not at all?  I went back and forth on this...we all have a 'list' of what we would change about ourselves, and with a wand in our hands it would be SO easy.  And probably could be very addicting!  My fear is that the simplicity of it all might take over, and before I knew it, what makes me special would be lost.  It might occur to readers that the first thing I would change would be to erase my disability.  And I have asked myself that very question and struggled with the answer (no, really!)  In the end, I think I would eventually change things so that I no longer faced those struggles (though I do have other things I would take care of first.)  It certainly would make my future seem a little less tenuous, and I wouldn't have to hesitate before tackling any activities in my daily life.  Though I would never erase the past 39 years, living with these physical differences...as hard as it has been sometimes, those challenges and memories (even the bad ones) make me the person I am today.  There are lessons I have learned because of the obstacles in my life, and I would want to hold onto all of them.  But if those physical struggles were gone, there are so many things I would have the energy to do that are beyond my reach right now, such as travelling around the country helping to raise awareness for CMT.  Plus, I'd just really like to be able to wear a sexy pair of high heels!  I know Harry Potter and his wand are fiction...but once in a while it's nice to dream, don't you think?

Have you ever wondered what state our health care system would be in if drug companies couldn't sell their products?  I know I'm slipping back into the realm of health care, and I promise not to stay long...it just occurred to me as I was watching a commercial for the latest and greatest drug, that despite the LONG lists of side effects, drug companies continue to jack up the prices for their wonderful medications and somehow continue to sell them.  I am not saying that ALL of these products are bad, or that there is no medical use for them.  It just surprises me how much money they are allowed to charge (to the point that many people cannot afford their medications,) when a lot of these drugs seem to cause more problems than they actually cure.  I think these companies should have to promote their drugs with COMPLETE honesty.  When they start to list the side effects (such as breathing problems, loss of hair, depression and FANNY fungus,) I don't think the actors should be running through fields of flowers on a sunny day.  It should NOT be sunny...as soon as the words 'fanny fungus' leave the narrator's lips, the black clouds should roll in, and it should start to POUR.  And no more of this beautiful piano music.  If I develop fungus on ANY part of my body because of a drug, I want to hear the sound track from JAWS...and if it's located ANYWHERE in my nether regions, sitting and playing the piano will be the last thought on my mind!  It just seems to me that if we allow these companies to bombard us with sunny days and beautiful music, we are giving them too much control...we are very visual in this country, and respond too easily to pretty advertising.  Let's take back some of that control before it's too late!

Well, there you have it!  It was nice to share my random thoughts with you, without getting too deep into any one topic...I can feel my brain starting to heal already.  And now that I know how to add pictures to my posts, I'll leave my opponents in the dust!  Hope you enjoyed it, and that one or two of these quick little ideas got you thinking as well.  And if not, I hope at least you enjoyed a laugh!