I have never read many of the classics, despite my love of reading. I do venture out of my favorite genres occasionally but, there are so many good and entertaining books on my "To Read" list already, that I just can't see Moby Dick or some such being a better choice for me. Well, Audible had a Daily Deal for The Swiss Family Robinson so I thought, why not? That treehouse was one of my favorite places at Disney World, or whichever amusement park housed it.
I am only into it about 5 chapters, and I am LOVING it. It is the epitome of "solve your problems without complaining too much, be grateful for what you have because you could have less, and let's get on with the business of enjoying our lives". I find it a parallel story to becoming chronically ill.
This family, alone, but all together, are stranded on an uninhabited island. The ship transporting them and many others wrecked in the sea and they made it to shore safely, together. Parallel: You no longer inhabit the world you were in, against your will, and now you must figure out how to live in this new place. Also, your dreams for whatever you were headed towards are smashed.
They have to figure out everything that used to be understood. Everything has to be rethought and new solutions must be sought for every purpose. How to cook food? How do we address safety? There is no immediate comfort. Nothing is set up for them to dwell here. Parallel: You can no longer do things the way you used to, the way you've done them for years, the way you were taught. You have to change everything, so as to not hurt yourself. You can't wash dishes the same. You can't prepare food the same. You can't move around in space the same way. No matter what you do, comfort eludes you. All of a sudden, your whole world is foreign and doesn't work for you.
They don't really want to be there. They were on their way to a colony, with the ship full of provisions of every kind to set up a new life. There was food on the ship, and livestock. Weapons, and ammunition. Building materials and tools. They had their cow, pig, donkey, sheep. Mom, Dad, Fitz, Ernest, Jack, and ..... can't remember the fourth boy. They get from the wreckage to the island even though only 2 of them can swim. They just figure out how to use what's in their environment to their advantage. Parallel: You don't want to be where you are finding yourself, either. You had your life set up with your provisions, your stuff you love, your job, your activities. You've got mostly all the same stuff at hand as you used to, but you find now that you can't access the stuff in the same way you could. Or its a cherished item, but now redundant. Or its something you thought useless, and now priceless. You find you new ground. You use what you have to do get stuff done. You knock cereal boxes off high shelves with your cane. You hold on to furniture as you walk around. You listen to your body and sit, even though sitting might be entirely inconvenient. Your set-up is the same, but, you've got to make use of it differently.
Dad is full of wisdom. He is our true leader. He is quick to praise his wife and each offspring and does so with love. He teaches that they must not kill any living thing without need. He states and exemplifies that evil shall not repay evil. He reminds his boys that bitterness at those who left them stranded is misguided and false. Those folks may have perished, or indeed may be starving to death presently. Mom takes on each task with cheer. Communication is open. Steps are taken as much as possible to procure safety for the immediate future. She doesn't display fear, none of them do. Instead, they pray. They pray together. They say they trust God, and then they truly do TRUST Him. Parallel: Life is better when you live in appreciation. This is especially true when chronic illness strikes, in my opinion. It strips away what is superficial in one fell swoop, and what you are left with are your true essentials, for which you are and should be, super grateful. If those essentials include others, and what they do for you, praise and thanksgiving of them and their presence and effort only makes them want to help you more. That is a bit of truth. You sometimes want others who you think are more deserving of this pain to endure what you've got, after all, you're a good person, you didn't do anything wrong to deserve this. What's-her-name, now SHE deserves to live in this pain. But, that's not really true is it? That's evil in your heart, wanting to spread evil because you're miserable. You feel evil has been done to you. It hasn't. Illness is illness. It is neither good nor evil. And it isn't for you to judge what anybody deserves. You are not their creator. Also, there are always people who will be in better positions and in less desirable positions than yours. A fact of every life. Get over it. Be grateful you're not starving to death. Yup, you might only be able to eat certain things without getting sick, but at least you have access to those things. At least you can digest some of it, and you can afford some of it. And it sucks to have to do chores while you feel ill but, its true that if you put your mind in a cheerful place, every single thing that must be done, is easier. Everything. It's important to discuss your situation with your close loved ones, whether they be family or friends. Make sure others know what's going on with you now. How things have changed. How they can help you if they care to. Know that fear is false. It is nothing but your inner bully. Now, prepping for the unknown is different. Thinking about realistic problems that could arise, like, maybe you'll get so worn out in the grocery store that you may fall from exhaustion. You could use a wheelchair or one of the little store carts to solve that problem. But, fear itself, it isn't really real. It has only power you give it. If you decide instead to pray, that's where you place your power. In your faith in the Lord. Prayer gets you through those painful days when you think, surely this is what dying feels like. Prayer keeps your heart grateful for your essentials: your food and water, your dwelling place, your air conditioning and heat, your bed or chair. Your medicine. You become aware, and at peace with the fact that, you control very little. You control how you react, that's mostly it. And you control your relationship with God. If you commit to the second, the first will unfold naturally. You can't just profess to trust. You must take the next step even though the staircase is invisible.
I'm only about 5 chapters into this lovely book, and I'm listening to a fabulous narrator, by the way, and am about to close here to turn it back on while I make my lunch. I love it though. It might be my new favorite. It is the prime example of human beings rising above what hand of cards they are dealt, and still, being perfectly happy folks. Folks who can still laugh, still sing, still find so much joy in everything. Sometimes life just sucks. But, you still can figure out how to get a cow, several sheep, a donkey, and a sow from their hold in a wrecked ship onto land, if you really try. (It involves tying a lot of casks to them for flotation and then linking them all together in a parade fashion, and unceremoniously throwing them into the ocean, one by one, watching them all sink, and then float back up.)
My title of Swiss Dazzle Zebranson is my EDS homage to them. Since I do have Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, as one of my unique superpowers, I get to be known to doctors and to other EDSers as a Zebra. Non-EDS folks are the horses. We are different in a way that is unique to each of us, since no two zebras have the same stripes. A dazzle, I just learned yesterday, is a group of zebras. So, instead of using Family, as the book title, I'm using Dazzle because I love it, and I am uniquely part of the world of Zebras too, now. I will never not be a Zebra again. Just like I will always be my parents child. So, Swiss Dazzle Zebranson is born.
I will continue my parallels, I'm sure, but that's what I wanted to share today. It's a beautiful world, strive to be happy, even in difficult circumstances. So grateful that I can say I am. I do have blue days. But not today. Today is yellow.
Have happy, happy days all.
