Life in Three Acts: Before, After, and Now”
Once, I believed my life was divided into two parts: before October 4, 2010, and after. That date marked a profound split in my existence. As the years passed, I realized that my life now unfolds in three phases: the before, the after, and the now. And, to my surprise, I find that in the now, I am well.
Eleven years later, the before begins to fade. Now, I content myself with the thought that I was well back then too. Is this compromise? Or perhaps the natural course of things? It matters little. After all, in some future years, I’ll say: “I was well even now.”
This is Multiple Sclerosis, ladies and gentlemen: a relentless eraser of cherished memories and a creator of discounts in your ideal mental and physical state.
Eleven years have passed. I’ve managed well. I am well. I think wistfully of 2019, 2017, 2015, and all the years back to 2010. But I don’t dream of them, because my character and temperament don’t allow me to dream of anything other than “before October 4, 2010.”
Dreams are free, so I’ll choose whichever I want. And I choose to dream of a future where MS doesn’t define who I am, but merely constitutes a part of my story.
“生活的三个篇章:之前、之后和现在”
曾几何时,我认为我的人生分为两个部分:2010年10月4日之前和之后。那一天在我的生命中划下了深刻的分界线。随着岁月流逝,我意识到我的人生现在展开为三个阶段:之前、之后和现在。令我惊讶的是,我发现自己在现在过得很好。
十一年后,之前的记忆开始褪色。现在,我满足于认为那时的我也很好。这是妥协吗?还是事情的自然发展?这并不重要。毕竟,在未来的某一天,我会说:“现在的我也很好。”
这就是多发性硬化症,女士们先生们:一个无情地抹去珍贵回忆、削弱你理想心理和身体状态的橡皮擦。
十一年过去了。我应对得很好。我很好。我怀念地回想2019年、2017年、2015年,以及一直追溯到2010年的那些岁月。但我不再梦想它们,因为我的性格和气质不允许我梦想除“2010年10月4日之前”之外的任何事情。
梦想是免费的,所以我会选择我想要的。我选择梦想一个未来,在那里,多发性硬化症不再定义我是谁,而只是构成我故事的一部分。