Fibromyalgia Community

Hello Sharon.....I was wondering as everyone might not have FB....can you post this here? IF it is too long
(more than 4000 characters) then you can post part of it and then continue in the reply to the 2nd part...I am sure everyone would enjoy reading this.


Take care.


MiMi

I'll give it a whirl: hope it works.

THE LENSES OF PERCEPTION
My view of the world is blurred, defined by a cataract and by glasses that no longer work. One eye sees the world through a thick fog; the other sees blurs and halos. Neither view is actually there. Neither view is true.

I am dyslexic. My brain "sees" me type a word forwards; then I look at the screen and the word is backwards. Sometimes it's complete gibberish. Because of this, I am a very careful proofreader. I often have to stop and correct words in every sentence. This makes typing frustratingly slow.

I see the world through faulty lenses, both physical and brain-related. However, there is also a third lens, not visible but perhaps most important of all. That is the lens of belief. How do I, as a person, see the world? How do my beliefs influence what I see?

My beliefs influence my brain. Science has proven this. There is a part of the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS for short), that is literally "programmed" by what I believe. Anything that I focus on with strong emotion tells this part of my brain, "Hey---this is important. This is what I want to pay attention to." The RAS says "Okay---I'll get right on it." And it goes to work.

The RAS is non-discriminating. It accepts whatever I say is important and it shows me everything related to that subject. It doesn't judge anything as "good" or "bad". The catch is, it will screen out everything not related to what I've "asked" it to look for. It is hard-wired to do that. This is why I need to be aware of what I believe and how I choose to see the world.

If I look at my life and see the financial challenges, the (sometimes) lack of food, the gray, rainy weather, the water-damaged apartment---you get the idea---and I say, "Life really sucks and there's nothing to look forward to!", I am "telling" my brain, "Hey---THIS is important. Show me why this is true." The RAS gets to work. Before I realize it, I'm overwhelmed with evidence that yes, my life does indeed suck and there's definitely nothing to look forward to. There may be plenty of good around me, but I won't see any of it, because I haven't "told" my RAS to see the good things. I told it, through my belief, to focus on the bad. That belief---my lens---determines what I see.

If, instead, I look around and see the birds on the feeder, the squirrels on the porch, the steaming cup of coffee with my breakfast omlette, my crochet projects waiting to be finished---again, you get the idea---and I say,"I am lucky to have so much!"; the same thing happens. My words tell my RAS, "Okay---this is important to me. Show me why this is true." And it will come up with all the evidence to support the "fact" that my life is good. The bad things are still there; but my perception has changed. I am using a different lens.

My belief---how I see the world---is my most important lens. It determines if my world is ugly and sad, or filled with things to be thankful for. I choose each day how I want to see. In my world, rose-colored glasses are pretty cool!

Thanks for sharing it with the fmily. It is a beautiful piece and I think all will enjoy the read.

Congratulations Sharon on a great write! Nancy B

This is amazing.
I enjoyed reading this so much.
You are a special lady with a gift for writing.

I want to be able to be more like you.
I am humbled before you <3

Wow that is a wonderful piece of work. I'm always impressed and a bit envious of people like you who can write so beautifully.

I had no idea there was any such thing as a RAS, and now will pay attention to keeping it focused properly.

Thank you for writing this.

Thanks Sharon for sharing this with us. I am glad that you were able to post it. I did not know if everyone here has a FB account or not. I have a user name but have only used it some, mostly for just signing on to other sites where I need some sort of account to sign in to post.

I enjoyed reading this and I am sure others will too.

You have a very positive attitude and it shows.

I am hoping that my attitude will soon get better....since part of the stress is now getting better....(I can now see and be with my granddaughter some....anything is better than nothing) She is one of the apples of my eyes....I have 3....I have missed her so and I hate that 3 years were taken away from us....but I am so very thankful that she is now back in our lives....as I think I have mention....Saturday was like she picked right up where she left off....just 3 years later. HOW WEIRD IS THIS?

We should all choose to see the *good* in everything....it is funny as my older son told the attorney on Thursday that he and his siblings were raised this way....and yes....I guess they were.

Take care.


MiMi

I guess that your name is Sharon.

I posted a few days ago on how much I enjoyed your Facebook note. I've read it about 10 more times.
What you have written is amazing and life changing.

I hope you know how fine a writer you are. It's not just the info, but your words.
Are you a professional writer? You should be if you can write like that.

I am humbled by your words.

I wanted to send a note through Facebook, as I clicked on the link you posted, but I don't think many people like to get letters from strangers on FB, so I decided to post here instead.

You're a very special lady.