When I go to the gym or run on the street not only do I jam to my upbeat music to get in the zone, but I also think about lots of stuff. I picture myself running a for miles (which some day I hope to do!), everyone cheering for the girl with CF who beat the circumstances (inspired by Emily Schaller and all the other CF heros!) I think about the times I had to stop in sports practices, how I don’t need to stop anymore because I’m taking care of myself now. I think about my lungs, free from scars and mucus, inhaling and exhaling the air, filling up like balloons pink and healthy.
And sometimes, when I reach my second mile, I just smile. I smile because I know I am doing something that is going to make me feel so much better in the long run [pun intended]. I smile because I know my PFTs are gonna rock. I smile because I DID IT!
And then later when I cough and it isn’t tight and painful, I think back to that run and how good it made me feel.
I have my own cheering squad in my mind, pushing me and telling me I’m beating the odds not because I’m lucky, not because my genes are any different, not because I have some miracle drug, but because I wake up inspired every day, because I keep believing, because I don’t give up, because I work my butt off !!!
