The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man was on tv the other day.
I had never seen it, so I recorded it on our PVR.
It is a black and white 1980 film, starring Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, that tells the basic tale of John Merrick (really Joseph Merrick) who was severely disfigured.

Today was a crash day for me, so I remained in bed the vast majority of the day. An intriguing film to curl up to with blankets and snacks was exactly the sort of night that I needed.
So, while lying in bed, pouting from my overall malaise that just will not let up, I huddled in for a movie night.

Almost instantly I felt guilty for feeling sorry for myself at all.
This man had such a difficult life. Far more than most. Not only that, but he was also living in a time when people like him were treated almost solely as circus 'freaks' and 'invalids'.
Every breath for him was laborious.

I am unsure of whether or not the film stayed relatively true to his life's story, but I truly hope that some specific sentiments were, in fact, his true words and/or thoughts.

There was a particular phrase that really touched me:

"I am happy, my friend. I am content. I am fulfilled, because I know that I am loved."

It's such a profound idea: that love really can make such a monumental difference between being miserable (and beaten) to being content - even in the most difficult of situations.

Love is a miracle in and of itself. Whether it is a friend, an animal companion, a child, a family member, a passion, a talent, faith, etc... feeling love can get you through anything. It may not fix anything, it may not even save someone, but love can offer something far greater that goes beyond our understanding.

I am grateful to have found love in various forms.

'We choose to see miracles'

Whenever I read a book, I always take time to write down quotes from the book that really speak to me.
I finished reading The Nightingale last night (which is a brilliantly devastating and captivating book, btw). I wrote down several quotes, but this one got me:

" 'You have been through so much.'
  'We all have.'
  'So we choose to see miracles.' "

I won't give away any spoilers as to the specific miracle they were referring to, but I loved the quote.
It can be applied to any difficult situation - and seeing the silver lining, no matter how large or small.

With illness, sometimes the 'miracle' that i choose to see is as simple as eating a meal that wasn't just Boost. Sometimes the miracle is being able to do the stairs. Or walk in heels for an evening. Or being able to forego my cane for a few days!

Horrible things happen to everyone in some form or another. If we do not actively look for the bright side or the miracle in it, we may never find it. There is often this perception that miracles have to be these gigantic displays that are visible to anyone who happens to be looking in that direction or that they are obvious - but I don't believe that. I believe that all of the little tiny good things that happen to us are the miracles - because they add up to something monumental, if we can just choose to see them.

Be on the look out for little miracles today.
Random acts of kindness alone can seem like mini miracles to someone.