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The Bigger Picture . . . Life is more than me.
By Christine Liles
What I’m about to say is my own opinion and my personal thoughts about Life. I don’t expect everyone to feel the same way or believe the way I do. I’ve experienced quite a bit in my life that’s led me to feel the way I do. Life is magical. It’s mysterious and unpredictable but also glorious and such a gift. I will say that I do believe in God. I believe we are all here for a reason.
To me, Life is like a chain of reactions. Think of your life. Think of everyone you currently know, everyone who has seen you do something, and everyone who you’ve come in contact with by doing a kind gesture or even a fender bender.
Take all your life events and imagine all the people in it and what their lives would be like if you never existed. Imagine that you were never born. How much of an impact on those people’s lives have you made? Most of those people will never know what difference you’ve made, but it could be a positive one. I bet right now you are wondering where I’m going with this . . . right?
For a while now, and I know I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, Living On O2 for Life, I’ve really thought about my life as a whole. The Bigger Picture. I’ve thought about the people I meet briefly and I feel a little guilty that I don’t remember them . . . though they certainly remember me. I think about my family and what their life would’ve been like if I hadn’t been born.
I often question myself when I’m out of the house doing my errands, in doctor’s offices, or just out to dinner … Why do people remember me? Sure I use oxygen. But it wasn’t until I went to my pain management doctor, I started wondering about all of this seriously. He looked at my chart with all my health problems and we talked a bit. He said that he saw that I’ve been through so much and I seem to be such a pleasant, vibrant person who can smile despite what I’ve been through. Then, he said that I’ve been blessed, truly blessed. I was truly at a loss for words. This is not me tooting my own horn. I just don’t know if I see myself that way. So, I often wonder why people do see me in such a kind light.
There are two reasons why I am the way I am. I’ll be the first person to admit to you that I am NOT perfect. I don’t believe anyone is. Though, I tell my husband that I’m perfect in every way. *Wink* I do have days when I struggle with life. However, the core instinct in me wants to spread joy (that’s what I call it) because it makes me feel good and alive and I hope with all my heart that it makes someone’s day better as well. I don’t want to have to imagine what my life would be like if I couldn’t find a reason to smile. So, I wonder sometimes what it would be like if I was never born. And in wondering this, comes the HOPE that I have made a positive impact on someone’s life.
Life is more than me. It’s about all of us. We are all interconnected and we need each other.
My name is Christine Liles and I blog about living on oxygen for life. I’ve used oxygen since I was 17 years old.
Note from Marlene:
Christine shares her stories on her blog, Living On Oxygen for Life. I have enjoyed her blog posts for years. I love her upbeat and sparkling personality. We have never met in person, but I feel like I know her (from her stories on Living On Oxygen).
About Christine:
I was born as the middle child of two sisters. Both are healthy . . . thank goodness! Growing up, I was restricted from certain gym class activities; things like running, jump roping, or anything that made me breathe hard from exerting myself too much. What was so great was that my family, especially my sisters never treated me like I was a fragile flower. In a way, that made me stronger inside. Even though I was born with serious heart and breathing problems along with the scoliosis that had me wearing a Milwaukee brace, I was still a kid who rode a bike chasing after the ice cream man, played two years of girls’ league baseball (wasn’t very good), and I was even in a bowling league. I’m sure wasn’t suppose to do all that because of my health but my parents tried to let me experience life as close to normal as possible. There were times where I had to sit out from the fun because it was just too beyond my capability.
