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Energy

"As I lose lung capacity, I find that fewer things are fun to do. So many things take too much energy. I like to save my energy for things that make me happy."--CF Roundtable blog

You know what is scary for me? Thinking that I may not have the energy to keep doing the things I find enjoyable. I know that eventually, this wearing down happens to everyone. You get old, your body needs sleep and rest. You can't keep up with the same pace of life as when you were young. But for most people, that doesn't happen until the later stages of life when EVERYONE is slowing down. You age gradually with your friends. CF patients, however, tend to slow down a lot quicker than average. It takes so much dang energy to breathe and for our bodies to function at all! We clearly need more sleep and rest to keep going. Our energy reserves get used up in a hurry. But right now, I'm still able to live an active life. I go to school, work, go to church activities, hang out with friends, and stay involved in extracurricular activities. Yet unless a cure is found for CF, I know that the day is coming when I won't be able to enjoy the activities I do now. Until that day, I'm going to take pleasure in the things I have energy to participate in. I'm also not going to overcommitted myself so that I can remain joyful and positive, not stumbling through life tired of everything and everyone, like a frazzled, exhausted young woman. How would you approach life differently if you realized how much it can change in a relatively short amount of time? Just a question for you to think about today.
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