Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory has been around for a little while now, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who needs to hear and understand it has done so.
“I explained that the difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted.” – Christine Miserandino
People are diagnosed with life-altering illnesses every day, and many of them will develop no visible signs of what’s actually happening inside them (a friend of mine who survived cancer showed none of the typical manifestations of long-term chemotherapy). Even someone who has been living with illness for a significant amount of time may discover that a person close to them has never truly understood what daily living feels like for the one who’s suffering.
“I think she was starting to understand when she theoretically didn’t even get to work, and she was left with 6 spoons. I then explained to her that she needed to choose the rest of her day wisely, since when your “spoons” are gone, they are gone. Sometimes you can borrow against tomorrow’s “spoons”, but just think how hard tomorrow will be with less “spoons”. I also needed to explain that a person who is sick always lives with the looming thought that tomorrow may be the day that a cold comes, or an infection, or any number of things that could be very dangerous. So you do not want to run low on “spoons”, because you never know when you truly will need them. I didn’t want to depress her, but I needed to be realistic, and unfortunately being prepared for the worst is part of a real day for me.” – Christine Miserandino
Bosses, spouses, siblings, even doctors can always do with a little reminder that doing a ‘thing’ today could mean that you can do anything tomorrow. And that’s why I believe it’s so important to continue to share Miserandino’s brilliant idea. You can read the full text here. And remember, never waste your spoons!
The Martian Princess Chronicles 