LML Monday - People Who Understand

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here. 

Not only is September National Pain Awareness Month, but this week (September 10-16) is also Invisible Illness Week. As someone who suffers from several invisible illnesses, all of which cause a great deal of pain, I have to appreciate both of these events.

There are several obvious reasons why these awareness events are a great thing. But the best part for me - the thing that I love the most - is that it gives us a chance to come together with other people who understand what we are going through.

Chronic pain, or any other chronic illness for that matter, can be a very isolating thing. Our illness keeps us from being able to do the things we used to enjoy. It makes people uncomfortable, because they don't really know how to relate to us any more. And trying to act "normal" all the time just to avoid having to explain things to people is extremely exhausting.

But every now and then something comes along to remind us that we are not alone, and that there actually are people who have been there too. That's a very comforting thing to have. And in this wonderful age of technology we are even better able to connect with others all over the world and learn just how much we share. And that, to me, is amazing.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't a "members only" thing, where your opinion doesn't matter just because you aren't living with an illness. I am lucky enough to have many wonderful people in my life who are incredibly understanding and supportive, even if they don't know exactly what it's like to be living with the issues that I have. And I'm eternally grateful for that support system.

But even with that, it is still nice - and very necessary - to be able to share with people who have lived it. And that's why I love Invisible Illness Week, and why I'm happy to support it. If you or anyone you love suffers from an invisible illness, I encourage you to visit their web site and take advantage of all of the information and support available.


Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to share some of your recent LML moments, or some of the things that you're looking forward to in the coming week. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! (And please be sure to link back here.) Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like.) But if you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!