Health Writer's Month: Tough Life Lessons

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Today's Health Writer's Month Challenge topic is:

Learned the Hard Way. What’s a lesson you learned the hard way? Write about it for 15 today.

Well, what can I say?

I've always been a fairly independent person. If I don't know how to do something, I'll usually work it out or find it out for myself. I grew up in a family that fixed their own cars, did their own house repairs, made their own clothes. I've always just assumed I could do things, until I was proven wrong.

lupus.cheezburger.com

That brings us to one of the toughest lessons of lupus: I can't do everything for myself.

I still like to do as much as possible for myself, but at times, I just can't. I get gadgets to help me. I break all my tasks down into their smallest bits and do them a little at a time.  If there's a lot of groceries to get, I order on-line and have them delivered instead of trying to push a shopping trolley around the supermarket.  I have endless ways to try to get through  my day, both for work and for housework and even my social life. (OK most of my social life is on-line now, I admit it. But that just makes it more special when I actually do see my friends.)

Sometimes, I have to give in and admit that it's just all too much. Sometimes, I have to accept the offer from the wonderful lady who has caught me up on my housework. Sometimes, I have to accept the offer from another wonderful lady who has changed my sheets for me because the bending, stretching and lifting are just too much. Sometimes, when I have a ton of things to do and the kids say "go to bed", I just have to do as I'm told. 

It's been a tough lesson to learn. I'm not superwoman.  There's times when I need help.