Deri,

Thanks for this new perspective.  I'm only 23, but I've had a very full and
physically wearing life- backpackingthrough india, working on farms throughout
New Zealand, living in remote central aus. for2 years.  People often say to
me "Don't you think you should slow down?  You're going to regret this when
you're older".  But my thinking is..... I might not live till I'm 'older'.
 I've got to live each day like it's my last, take those opportunities as they
come, and have no regrets.  From my point of view, there is no point holding
back today so that in 20 yrs time I might be a bit more independent or pain-free
than I would be.  ALthough, I realise that I'm probably speaking with the ignorance
of youth!!! Maybe further down the track you'll all be rolling your eyes at
me as saying "didn't we try to tell her?"!!

Emma

>On Thursday 07 Mar 2002 9:28 pm, Cleveland, Kyle E. wrote:
>> OHHHHH YEAAAAAHHHH!!!!!  As you read through my later posts you'll
>> find how I really screwed things up with my family.  You bring up
>> another excellent point that some of the dads or younger men on the
>> list might heed:  think about how over-use of your body/talents
>> will affect your (potential) spouse and children.  My youngest will
>> be four in April.  What will my capabilities be like when he's
>> fourteen?  Laura has leukemia (currently in remission) and I have
>> CP--are our kids going to be caregivers for their parents and their
>> own children at the same time?
>
>I find this a bit sad. I've always tended to burn the candle at both
>ends, in fact I've always considered it my "duty" to do so. I've only
>got this one life, there's an awful lot to cram in. Sure my body is
>showing signs of falling apart, but the same is true for many of my
>friends without CP who have crammed their life to the full. In all
>relationships there is a balance, and its all about time allocation,
>but its not about "how long" you spend with each person its about
>giving them sufficient amount of your own time to enable them to have
>a fulfilling life themselves. On Sunday I spent 6 hours at a Rugby
>Tournament with my 13 yr old in a freezing gale, I knew it would kill
>my back, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't do it. MY time starts
>about midnight each night when I get to do neat things on my computer
>(nerd!).
>
>> Yes, Joanne, I've done a lot of neat things (I should post the pix
>> to prove it), but in hindsight they might have been foolishly
>> self-serving.  If I'd known then....I either would have remained
>> single or more sedentary.
>
>I wouldn't tell the teenagers/twenty somethings that, I'd say grab
>every opportunity that comes your way, bust a gut to make sure those
>opportunities do keep coming. I do understand your points re:
>balancing the desire to excel against putting enough time into
>personal relationships, and your horrific achilles injury from
>Paralympic Cycling, but these seem to be arguments against developing
>too much singlemindedness, to retain an eye on the many things which
>life has to offer, rather than a purely CP/ageing related argument.
>
>> My parents and brother are all over-achievers.  For an AB, this
>> might be a good thing, but a gimp is going to be a "shooting star"
>> if he follows their lead.
>>
>> My tuppence.
>>
>> -Kyle
>>
>> (Kat--I'll get some photos together this weekend and put them up on
>> the web. It will prove to Ken, at least, that my shoes aren't
>> brown!  LOL! )
>>
>
>My .034 Euros.
>
>Cheers
>
>Deri
>