Often we are so consumed by the inconveniences of O.I. that it’s easy to overlook the components of our lives that makes it easier. To answer this question it would be too easy for me to create a laundry-list of fantasy medical care, ideal school systems, perfect family dynamics, and flawless peer groups. Not only would this be unhelpful it would also be a lie – no one has that life regardless of whether or not you have O.I.

When I first thought about this question I decided to think about what makes life easier for me in general. Off the top of my head that would be: my awesome friends, some semblance of day-to-day purpose, a supportive family structure, and my own attitude. Even if one of those components wasn’t at its 200% best, I still find that I have solid ground beneath me to make it from the beginning of the day till the moment I close my eyes.

To insert O.I. into the equation doesn’t change any of those components that already exist; if anything having O.I. just highlights how the things I listed above make my life easier.  My friends are awesome for many reasons but among them is becaue they could care less if I have O.I. or not. My day-to-day purpose drives me because it reinforces my self-worth despite being fragile. My family supports me because they believe I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. And my own attitude impacts how I perceive the entire ensemble, but a huge part of that attitude is how I consider my self-worth and the mind set that I approach each day with. This last component, the attitude, is probably the biggest factor in what makes life with O.I. easier.

I could be having an awful day. It could be one of those days where nothing is going right, I messed up at work, I got into a fight with someone in my family, my friends are all busy with their lives, and it may be raining and I forgot my umbrella – and then my arm breaks for whatever reason. All of these things could easily negatively impact my mood, I would probably be extremely frustrated and disheartened. From there it would be really easy to allow things to snowball to the point where I have a negative attitude about everything and tell myself “this day is a total waste, let’s just go home and cry in bed and never get up again.” Or I could tell myself bad days happen, bones break and then they heal (I’ve been through this hundreds of times before) and tomorrow is a whole new opportunity to try again.

I have experienced both instances numerous times. I have talked myself into abject misery and I have also talked myself out of it; the point is that we have control over our attitudes. We can’t help how we react and feel to various situations; however, we are able to acknowledge our reactions and then use our attitudes to either propel ourselves forward or keep ourselves back. It’s a choice we all have to make. So, where’s your attitude taking you?