I Hope You Find Your Pot of Gold

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

I went to my closet this morning to pick out my shirt and remembered it’s St. Patrick’s Day.  Let’s face it I’m not Irish, I’m a Jewish guy with Eastern European heritage, but why worry about what color I’m going to wear?  Because otherwise all day long (and I work a very long day) I’ll have to hear that I didn’t wear green.  I guess I wave the white (or better green) flag on this one.

However, I really wanted to speak about the idea that there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with a little leprechaun sitting there waiting for your to catch him and claim it.  Since your diagnosis has the contents of your pot of  gold changed?  When we were little, or even before the diagnosis maybe the pot of gold was money, but since your diagnosis is it the same?  I ask that question because money doesn’t necessarily change your situation.  Look at Rock Hudson who spent months in France hoping for a cure for AIDS and still dying.  Elizabeth Edwards had plenty of money and still she died.  Annette Funicello (who was recently admitted to the doctor) has been facing Multiple Sclerosis for years and she has/had money, didn’t seem to change her health…so what’s the pot of gold?

The other thing that we hear at this holiday is the “Luck of the Irish”.  When I’ve heard Oprah Winfrey discuss luck she states, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”  If that’s the case how are you preparing for getting better or well?  Aside from instantaneous remission or a miracle is there a way to get better or well without preparation?  By preparation I’m referring to following a treatment plan, traditional medicine or complementary medicine or some other form of healing practice, doesn’t matter to me; what matters is the preparation.  The opportunities may rest in finding a doctor or medical practice that is in-the-know about the latest literature and treatments.  My dermatologist(s) have all been avid readers and researchers constantly bringing me updates without me having to ask…that for me was luck because I felt secure in my treatment and my medical team.

Okay, I confess I do hope for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when I won’t have to take medicine anymore, visit the doctor or the lab, and certainly don’t ever have to worry about a flare.  Until then I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, creating my own opportunities for health and healing, getting the best medical are possible, and keeping myself steeped in a community of people who are on the same journey….