Do you celebrate Memorial Day with more than a bbq? I do! I come from a long line of military expertise. My Dad was a Captain in the Army (Korea), my Granddad was a Captain in the Army Air Corps (WWII), my Great Granddad (and a few of his brothers) were among the first Native Americans to serve with the US Marshall's Service, and a few Great Uncles served as Colonels in the Air Corps/Air Force, and Army. Heck, I was even born in an Army hospital. I say "thank you" when I see a man or woman in fatigues or dress uniforms, I know the words to Taps and I sing along quietly when I hear it played (unless my nephew puts his hand over my mouth and says, "No no no" ... he likes music but doesn't like it when you sing along), and I always have flags visible in my house. I have a flag for my porch ... but ... um ... it takes more knowledge of tools to get the bracket in place than I have in brain ... it's like math, but different. I love the military background that my family offers me! It makes me who I am!
But a few years ago, while mourning loss and celebrating life on Memorial Day, I realized that I, too, am a Vet ... of sorts. I am a warrior in the battle against RSD. With the experience that I bring to the table, I'd even go so far as to refer to myself as a "General." Not only am I a warrior, but I live in the trenches on the front line. No, I didn't fight for the freedom of our nation, but I do fight for the freedom from pain. After serving in the ranks for over 20 years, on Memorial Day, I reserve the right to mourn the loss of the life I once had and the life I never had.
Surviving RSD takes the fortitude of a warrior ... a soldier. We endure boot camp through hours upon hours of physical, occupational, and psychological therapy. We fight for our rights within the medical and legal systems. We have days of victory and days of defeat. We storm the beaches on our good days and hole up in the MASH tents on our bad days. When our emotions are in a state of flux, our bodies wage war against us. But we Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. It is a never-ending and vicious cycle, and not everyone is cut out for this kind of battle. RSDers have 1 choice, man-up or surrender. Normies have a choice too, if they are willing to stay the course. They can assist, they can watch, the can retreat, and they can take up arms in the fight. In all honesty, I don't blame them when they retreat. RSD is an ugly war, especially if you care about someone who is fighting and can't stand to watch the fallout that always ensues. It takes an army of support to help us succeed ... let me rephrase that, it takes an army of Normie's support to help us succeed. We, the RSDers, form our own troops of support, compassion, and understanding. But it's the Normies that can fight in ways that we cannot ... the physical ways.
I have faith that I will continue this battle until the war is won. There are no Peace Talks. No Treaties are available with RSD. It is a war that will rage on ... and on ... and on. I have faith that I will recover from my most recent barrage of emotion and pain. After all, this Friday I will celebrate 21 years of surviving the beast, RSD. I invite you all to join me in this celebration. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/279720672122191/ and help Kiva and I spread awareness and have some stylish fun doing it!!
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