I once had a professor in college named Dr. Anstey who was considered to be one of the toughest at the university. His classes were extremely challenging and he was very intimidating. On the first day of class, he had each of the students move their desk to the edge of the room pointed inward until we formed a circle. He would walk in the middle of that circle, moving from student to student, as he lectured. I remember him telling us that by the end of the semester, only 30% of us would remain in his class. All others would drop out. Now that’s intimidating. Always one for a good challenge, I chose to remain.
If Dr. Anstey was covering material we were supposed to have studied in our homework assignments, he would stop as he walked around the circle, slam his hand on your desk, ask a question pertaining to that homework, and you were expected to provide the correct answer. If you didn’t have a correct answer, he would move to the next student continuing the question until he got the answer he sought. Maybe his technique bordered on embarrassment, but it sure made me come to class prepared.
Dr. Anstey’s tests were some of the most difficult I had ever faced. That’s because they were all essay, normally with only two or three questions, but were complex questions in that they involved multiple parts. For example, he would ask you to “contrast and compare” two different theories. That meant you not only had to thoroughly understand each theory, but you also had to understand how each theory related to the other. His whole teaching philosophy revolved around gaining a thorough understanding of a concept instead of just memorizing it. This was very challenging, but I learned more in that class than any of my other college classes.
Sometimes it takes a good challenge to bring out the best in us. Like college classes, if life is too easy, we skate through and learn very little. If a class is challenging, we put in additional effort and what we learned stays with us. Effort, in effect, determines outcomes.
I can’t say I was skating through life before Myasthenia Gravis, but life was definitely easier. I had no limitations on what I could or could not do. I didn’t have nearly as many challenges. I could take on just about anything. Here’s the problem….I didn’t.
I wasn’t lazy, but I can’t say I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish. I may have challenged myself once in a while, but I wasn’t challenging myself daily. With MG, nearly every day is a challenge, but thanks to my class in college, I learned that the best way to face a challenge is to put in the effort and keep at it.
The concept I’ve learned from having Myasthenia Gravis is that life becomes better when you continue to challenge yourself, put forth the extra effort, push yourself to do more, do better.
I think back before I had MG and I realize how much I took the little things in life for granted. Good health was just there. I didn’t appreciate it; I assumed it. Taking long walks, making long speeches, playing a game of hockey, were all things I just did and I took them for granted. I didn’t give them my best effort and I certainly didn’t appreciate my successes. I chalked everything up to just being alive.
Nowadays, it takes more effort. In fact, many of the things I once did, I can no longer do. I have to challenge myself to exercise because doing so makes me fatigued and achy. I have to challenge my mind because it would be too easy to fall into self-pity. I have to keep myself active because inactivity weakens my abilities.
The two most important lessons I’ve learned from having Myasthenia Gravis is that my efforts are worthwhile and how to appreciate. From the smallest of accomplishments to the largest, I’ve learned to appreciate all life has to offer, including myself. Yep, I’ve learned to appreciate the person I’ve become, how I’ve focused on trying to help others, how I’ve chosen not to give up. It would have been easier to just lie in bed or sit in a chair, but that wouldn’t have been fulfilling. I put one foot in front of the other every day and give it my best effort. I’ll continue to do so until the day when I no longer can. I’m a realist. I recognize that day will someday come, but it’s not today. Today I have things to accomplish.
I don’t wish MG or any other disease on anyone, but we don’t control the hand we’re dealt. We only control how we react to it. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When a challenge lies ahead, it’s fight or flight. I choose to fight.
Thank you, Dr. Anstey, for teaching me that when things are too easy, we learn nothing from them. Learning and living are worth the effort.