In response. . .

I read this blog post from another CFer who is currently waiting for new lungs. She poses some very intriguing questions and thoughts. She has invited her readers to respond and so I am jumping on such a great opportunity to share my point of view on this subject along with contributing to the discussion. You can read her blog post if you click HERE.

. . . . "I guess this all got me thinking, because is one person's positive thinking another person's denial? Or is my realism your negativity?" . . .

So my thoughts,

I think I understand the post. . . I think. I feel like people are frankly a little of both at different times in life. It can be based on what is happening in our lives. I think generally I am positive. I keep a positive optimistic outlook. However, there are times when I feel the realism of my life. I agree that some people can seem like they have a false sense of positivity which could easily be some degree of denial. I would say I lived my life with a healthy level of denial.

I think this question is directly linked to the realization of the HONEST truth of what CF "IS" going to do to the body. There really was no way I was going to outrun the disease. . . but this is where the healthy denial HAS to come into play. I admit that before I got sick, I had a very positive and determined outlook about my health. I felt like I was invinsible and I could stop my disease from destroying my lungs. . . . when I got sick and there was nothing I could do to keep if from progessing, that was when I had to be honest with myself. Oxygen, pain, hospitalizations, and being told you are dying are all things that even a positive personality has to face the reality and truth of what is ahead of them.

Just as I was positive and determined before I got sick, had a transplant and recovered. . . I now am just as positive and slightly more 'realistic'.

We all develope ways to cope with life, CF or not, so is it fair to try to figure out if one is "truly positive"? Is anyone truly positive all the time? Maybe publicly, but I can guarantee that life can be overwhelming and some may only break down in private. That is thier coping mechanism

That is my jibber jabber on that topic. I do not claim to be "always" positive. . . but I am usually a true optimistic. Optimism can be confused with denial and stating the reality of a situation can seem negative. Niether one is necessarily right or wrong. I feel like we can experience all of those things throughout our lifetime.

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