The Flip Side of Answering Questions About Progress

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth: The generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:1-2 NKJV

It's tricky when people ask you how you are doing when you've been injured or sick. Of course, they want you well and so do you. It's a real dilemma in whether you tell them the truth or you just say the stock thing,  "I'm fine."  

 Well, I can say I've done both and there are positives and negatives to both. When I say I'm fine there is the positive of temporarily appeasing the person who's asked the question. The negative is that you've not been totally honest with the person who has asked you the question.

 When you really tell the questioner how you're doing, there's the positive of being honest with them, but there's the down side. People who have pushed me for more details, leave me feeling that they genuinely want to know how my progress is going. When I told someone that's two steps forward and one step back, they turned to me and said, "Well, at least you can walk!" It gave me the impression that they thought I sounded like I was complaining, but I hadn't meant to be.

 I had someone ask me how I was really doing. I told them that I am much better than I was, but that my legs freeze up when I don't use them for awhile and I have to use the cane when I get up in the night to use the restroom. After a few steps with the cane, I can usually hobble the rest of the way. They also freeze up when I've been sitting at the computer, watching TV or riding in a car too long. Usually, I don't need a cane with the last three, but have to stand there for a minute or two before starting to hobble. In a minute or two my gait returns more to normal. The person told me that they have health issues and they just ignore them. It made me feel like the person just thought I was just complaining and should tough it out. It's difficult, because I didn't feel like I had been complaining and was just giving them truthful information. I think some people just want to hear everything is O.K. which is fine, but then they shouldn't push for a more in-depth answer. I'll have to remember this when I ask others how they are doing after a long illness or injury.

 I don't have the answer for all of this. The thing I most often say is, "I'm truly blessed. God makes me stronger every day." It's the truth, but some still push for more details. It's just tricky knowing how much to tell people, especially when you have something that's involved a long healing process. 

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.

Caregiving Video: NFPA Safety Tips for Seniors
By: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) via You Tube

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