When I was a child I knew exactly who I was.  Some days I was a damsel in distress waiting for her knight in shining armour.  Some days I was a brave explorer saving endangered animals from extinction.  Some days I was Superwoman and I was going to save the world.  And then I grew up.

 At High School and then University I had responsibilities to attend my classes..  When I got a job I had a responsibility to the workplace and my coworkers.  I had friends that I socialized with.  I had family that I loved.  Later I had an apartment that I had a responsibility for, and then pets.  Superwoman was gone and the brave explorer explored no more.  I had grown up.

 The years progressed and I was diagnosed with a disease that changed my life.  In some ways it allowed me to get back in touch with the child I once was.  My responsibilities changed.  My priorities changed.  And in time my body changed.  Move ahead a few decades.  My biggest responsibility now is to me.  And what does that make me?  It makes me human.

 As our species has evolved over the millennium, so too have individuals, of course over a much shorter period of time.  We have to evolve to fit into society.  Some of the dreams we had as children cannot transition into adulthood.  Some of the dreams we had as children morph into something comparable but not exact.  Adulthood really does take a toll on our childhood dreams!  But still sometimes what we’ve dreamt of as a child does come to fruition.  There are brave explorers out in the wilds of unexplored lands working to save the endangered species of our world.  I’m not one of.  There are Supermen and Superwomen out lobbying for the disenfranchised and the needy.  I’m not one of them.  There are women who play the game of damsel in distress to attract a man they believed to be their knight in shining armour.  I’m not one of them.

What I am is myself.  I have come to terms with my perceived inabilities.  In fact I embrace my disability.  I have multiple sclerosis.  It does not have me.  I have a life and I will continue to live it to the fullest whether it wants me to or not.  Do I make concessions to fatigue and other symptoms of this disease?  Yes.  I am no different than anyone without multiple sclerosis.  When they get tired, they rest.  When I get tired, wait for it, I rest.  We all have issues we need to deal with whether you have a disease or not.  And I have made the choice to live and to have a life of my own.  That’s who I am.