March 1st, The Start of MS Awareness Month

Today is March 1st. The entire month of March is MS awareness month. The week of March 7 is MS awareness week. It’s safe to say that MS is going to be all around for a little while. In the past I haven’t participated in these days, weeks or months very much. The most I have done is post a picture of an orange flower or two. That was the most I could bring myself to post. I mean like come on, I am aware I have MS everyday! Why do I need specific days to remind me?!

However. I’ve come to realize the importance of the specific awareness days. They aren’t necessarily for me, they are for others. They are meant to make others aware of what we go through on a daily basis. They are meant to encourage tolerance, empathy and understanding. They are meant for education and opening up someone’s mind to another’s struggle. They are meant for us to join together, pick each other up and dust each other off.

I didn’t come to this realization quickly. It took many years of protesting these days, weeks, months to understand their magnitude and that they were bigger than me. Yes, I still get angry at times. But I’ve realized that isn’t serving me. Holding onto anger about something that my body is doing on its own isn’t working for me anymore. I would rather partner with it and try to fix it. That’s what these days/weeks/months do. They create awareness within our selves as well.