The future.
No one knows what will happen in the next second, much less the rest of one’s life.
For you (and me,) the Polycystic Kidney Disease patient, although the future may be unknowable, the perception of your future is knowable. Not only is it knowable, but this perception of your future has a great deal to do with how you respond to your present.
When I was symptomatic, I could not “see” a future. When I thought about it, all I could “see” was fog. And, in my perception, as I moved forward, the fog moved with me. I could not outwalk the fog.
While I had this perception, I was very passive about my disease. It wasn’t a conscious passiveness. I still complied with my medical protocol. But I seemed to do it mechanically, dispassionately. Like a job. I felt I was just going through the motions. I didn’t have hope.
Not having hope, what I now call “positive expectancy,” is not a great way to travel on the PKD Odyssey.
But, as “luck(!)” (or something else) would have it, the perception of my future would change.
At this time in my life, I was in my first year of Neuro-Linguistic Programming training. One of the concepts being studies was the concept of “Timelines,” which is a study of how we perceive the passage of time.
As part of the training, I volunteered my perception of my “foggy future.” Another student asked me, If you can’t see looking forward, when can you see looking on your sides?”
In my imagination, I looked from side to side, and I perceived (totally mentally) other PKD patients moving in the same direction towards the fog.
My new perspective was that I may not “see” a future, but I have a lot of company!
It was a significant change. My internal sense of futility changed as I internally reasoned, “Maybe it’s worth taking care of myself if for no other reason than to be a “companion” to another PKD patient somewhere down the line.”
And in fact, without consciously doing anything different, I somehow followed my protocol with more purposefulness.
What I’m saying is, that a change in the perception of my future directly made a change in my attitude about following my medical protocol.
I don’t have to tell you that a change in attitude towards more enthusiasm for doing what needs to be done on the PKD Odyssey is a very good thing!
So how do you perceive your future?
Give yourself the gift of time and really think and use your “inner senses” to become aware of how you perceive your future. And allow whatever comes up for you. Then accept it for what it is. If you perceive a hopeful future, great! If you perceive a less than hopeful future, know that like for me, your perception can change.
I’d be interested in how you do perceive your future.
I’d love to hear from you on this subject!
Please leave comments!
I’ll catch you…later!
Peace and Blessings!
Coach Richie Perl
