"Good" and side effects

A great chat with a caregiver.

She shared that she was wigging out about "math" stuff. Most probably, basic algebra stuff, explained poorly as only basic algebra can be malexplained.

And what I told her was this: Change the frame.

For example, you drive all over the place here in the greater LA area, you are always greeted with needing to be somewhere at a given time, on an empty freeway it takes a certain time, the freeway adds to that travel time depending on when and where you're traveling. All that tells you that to get to the desired location, you need to allow so much time and that means that you need to leave at particular time.

But this is algebra. Change the frame to stuff you're already familiar with, and suddenly the problem disappears. It's not an "algebra" problem, it's a "just do it" problem that you deal with daily. But if you frame it with scary letters like X and Y and such, you're setting it outside your comfort zone.

So, change the frame. We MSers, we can certainly say a lot, and which of us can't say a very large amount, about our problems, our disabilities. And yet, "tell the truth" includes telling the truth about what you can do.

So indulge yourself. Take a moment to enjoy what works... Because there are things that still work and work well. I can still enjoy the air. I can still laugh. I can still reassure caregivers who need care.

And those all matter. Adding good to the world comes in many colors and flavors... so, why not make the world better? Even in a small way. Because big good starts from small good.

So, that's your prescription for today. Do good.

Good only has side effects of... well, good.