It's always nice to have something to look forward to. Whether it’s a special meal, a TV show or sports event, a phone call with a friend, or something more long term... the graduation or wedding of a loved one, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, or retirement.
I don’t know about you, but looking forward keeps me going, especially now, with so many things closed and so many of our days spent at home and alone.
What do I look forward to? On a daily basis, I look forward to going down to the kitchen at the end of my workday to have dinner with my husband. I look forward to cooking a big pot of something comforting on the weekends. If we’re talking long term, I look forward to seeing my two little boys, our grandchildren, grow into fine young men. Eventually… I look forward to retiring.
Sometimes we look forward to something, hoping that ourselves or a loved one will actually be around when it becomes a reality. When something like COPD, cancer, or another major disease process is part of our life, looking forward to something takes on a different meaning.
On the other hand, if you have COPD, you might look forward to a visit with your doctor, trying a new medication, starting pulmonary rehab, "attending" an online support group meeting, or maybe even participating in a research study that is trialing a new treatment. If you’re fortunate enough at this time to go to pulmonary rehab class, you might look forward to going in and being with the staff and your classmates.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s good – important, even – to always have something to look forward to even if it may seem minor or trivial to someone else. Doing so means that we plan to be around for a while and keep on participating in life, trudging through some of the yucky stuff in order to get on over to something better…something happier…something to look forward to.
What do you think, and what do you look forward to? Tell us about it. I “look forward” to hearing from you!