3 Quotes for Life from The Bible, Rocky, and Eleanor Roosevelt
Today I’m continuing the WEGO November Health Challenge. They have this thing called Favorite Fridays and today’s prompt is:
Make a list of 3 favorite quotes. MY ANSWER:
1) The Bible: Philippians 4:6-7 (FAITH)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I like this passage because it reminds me that God is in control. Illness affects all aspects of my life and not being in control is scary. But knowing that God is in control puts things in perspective and is comforting. There are times in my life when things didn’t happen the way I wanted them to or they didn’t happen when I wanted them to, and I was relieved years later that God’s will prevailed.
2) Rocky (ENDURANCE)
“I didn’t hear no bell. Get up you son of a bitch because Mickey loves you.”
Coach Mickey spoke these words above to Rocky—you can see it here in Rocky’s flashback. My friend Ron and I used to say these words to each other along with Philippians 4:6-7.
So yeah I love Rocky. I have a Rocky poster in my bedroom of Rocky climbing up the steps and I think of all of Rocky’s opponents as my illnesses. Apollo would be the bipolar disorder because it’s my oldest foe turned friend (in some ways it helps me.) Mr. T is my asthma, a by product of Myasthenia Gravis, although I haven’t used my inhaler in months because of Reliv. Drago is my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome because I’ve been fighting it for ten years and that feels like forever much like Rocky’s fourteen-round fight with Drago. And finally Mason Dixon is my Myasthenia Gravis (MG) because in the final Rocky, Rocky was always tired and in pain—that’s what MG does to me. Through three decades of challenges, Rocky never gave up. He prayed before every fight and that’s how I like to start my day.
3) Eleanor Roosevelt (STRENGTH)
“A Woman is like a bag of tea; you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water.”
Having this blog I’ve met so many chronically ill women who inspire me—women with CFS, fibromyalgia, PCOS, endometriosis, diabetes, Sjogren’s, lupus, and migraines. I had dinner with my friend Carol who has lupus and bipolar disorder yesterday. I had been feeling slightly down that day because being in pain 24/7 sometimes has that effect on me. She herself is getting ready for an intense surgery. Somehow being together and talking about a dozen things (from Jackie O’s fashion to Mad Men and our pain) made me feel better. And my outlook became brighter. We joke that she’s my autoimmune coach and I’m her bipolar coach. We find sisterhood in each other; that’s what this blog is about.
–Your Stylist,
Jessica Gimeno
