Positivity

Time for my second post! I was really impressed and surprised but the amount of views my first post received. You guys are great. I'm going to keep posing about weekly (or whenever something happens that I would like to share), so please subscribe by clicking one of the RSS links or entering your email address on the right. Also, share my posts on Facebook, tweet it, or mention them on your own blog. Whatever you cool kids are up to nowadays.

So in this post, I'll talk a little bit less about CMT and a bit more about myself so those of you who aren't my family and friends, can get to know me. Plus, we live our lives with CMT, I think we deserve a break once in a while. I'll start out by saying that I would describe myself as a "cautiously positive person" when it comes to my outlook on life. I say cautious because I know there are things in life, and I have experienced my own fair share of situations, that flat out suck. For instance, CMT has kept me from participating in many physical activities throughout my life. Even for those of you who don't have CMT, I think everyone reading this can think of something about themselves that has kept them from doing what they wanted at some point in their lives. However, (this is the most important part right here) I do firmly believe that some of these negative aspects of our lives often impact us for the better. For example, with me, I think that having CMT had caused me to be a more sensitive person. I think my ability to put myself in another person's shoes is really aided by the fact that I have had some pretty terrible hardships in my life (Not to make myself sound high and mighty). But when I see someone really going through a tough time it truly does impact me, I physically feel for that person. Maybe that is how everyone is, and maybe I'm not special, but that is one thing I really like about myself. I honestly believe that having CMT, a chronic illness without a cure (for now), has shaped me to be this way. And I love it.

I'm hopeful that my rantings above made at least some sense, I'm certainly not the best writer but I'll just say what I think and hope you like reading it. Comment below!!! Also, feel free to ask me any questions!

PS: I'll post pictures from time to time if I am writing the post in a particularly fun place. For instance, tonight I am sitting on the beach at Lake Erie and it truly is a perfect evening.

Now off to do homework.

-Joey

Camping Trip

So I'm going to start off by talking a little bit about a trip camping trip I just went on. For the most part it was a good trip, other than the part where I hit a deer and made a fool of myself after I had just little too much to drink. We'll get to that though. 

So what does this have to do with CMT? Well, I was nervous about this trip, specifically about my feet. If any of you have CMT, you know what it does to our feet. I would say (based on google pictures of CMT) that the deformities in my feet are moderate to severe. Not too long ago, I had an operation on my left foot where my surgeon put in nine screws, five staples and a plate. I will write a post on that soon. Long story short, my left foot is significantly better, but I still struggle with both, particularly my right. I really can't say what makes my feet better or worse at particular times but there are definite highs and lows. Sometimes it feels like I could go on forever, but other times it feels like my feet are lifeless and I start tripping all over myself. Anyway, my feet did hold up pretty well during the trip, but I wore a brace on each one to give a little extra support. They weren't AFOs but they were hard plastic braces. I'm not sure if any of you reading this wear braces, but man, can they be a pain. Truthfully, I was really glad I had them because I felt nearly invincible with them on, but at the same time I felt a little ridiculous. There is nothing like looking like an uncoordinated fool, trying to put on your shoes with the person you like looking at you. Now who the heck knows what they were thinking while they were looking at me, but it still made me feel pretty crappy. It really does hit you right in the self-esteem. Granted, I don't want any significant other that looks at my feet before they really look at me; but that doesn't make me feel any less self-conscious. So if you can relate to this, I feel your pain!

I'll end with a quick bit about alcohol. I don't really drink often but when I do, I feel it really quickly. I think it is mostly because my ability to balance sober sucks on its own, but add just a bit of alcohol and I look like I am beyond drunk. I do like drinking with friends but I don't like making a fool of myself. Luckily for me, I have some pretty great friends who support me emotionally..... and physically when I have a beer or two. 

Have any of you ever experienced any of these situations before? How did you handle them?