Being Cool

More than any other time of year, summer shares my not-so-secret secrets. I’m not as thin, flexible, or strong as I used to be. It’s easier to disguise and ignore in colder weather when clothing is bulkier and outdoor activities are less promising.

This time of year encourages reality checks for how I look, feel, what I’m able to do, and how things that used to be easy now require more effort. While natural aging is challenging, Multiple Sclerosis adds even more difficulty to living well in later years. 

I remember as a kid thinking my 50 to 60-year-old grandparents were really old. They weren’t active, and it wouldn’t have occurred to me that they could be. As I’ve watched baby boomers age, they’ve shown they can still be active. They’ve changed my expectations and hopes for myself for my later years. 

Just as each generation is changing expectations for what’s possible, I think the potential to live well with MS in later years is improving. This isn’t always true for each person, but as a whole, those of us living with MS today are doing better at each age than those with MS fifty, thirty, and even twenty years ago.  

For me, having MS is a burden to endure and a motivator to do what I can to combat its likely effects. At almost 55 years old, I’m hopeful that I’m still in the late summer of my life and still have time to delay decline. Each year I do well, I’m encouraged that I may keep doing well for a while. I know achieving that goal demands even more effort. 

If I let up, spasticity will tighten my limbs, limit mobility, and cause more pain than it already does. Medication helps, but stretching is mandatory for maintaining any flexibility. I’d think the way spasticity fires nerve messages and tightens muscles would lead to stronger limbs, but that hasn’t been my experience. It just tightens them, makes movement more difficult, and causes pain. 

It takes a lot of work to be where I’m at, but I still haven’t given up hope or effort for improvement. 

Thankfully, summer provides more opportunities to do things that improve my health. Produce is fresh and fleeting. Enjoy the flavor and nourishment while it lasts. Days are longer, and more sunlight improves my mood. I love being active outside, and the weather is conducive to outdoor activities. Friends are more likely to want to get together, and they support my well-being. 

Sometimes vanity can get in the way of making things easier or less stressful. Things that accommodate aging and MS-related issues are often bulky, less fashionable, and just don’t look cool. Similar to how opinions and expectations are changing for aging, I’d love it if we redefined what cool looks like.   

If needing accommodations for heat sensitivity, consider it’s cooler to be cool than it is to look cool. Lately I’ve noticed more spectators and athletes wearing cooling devices. They’re helping to change the stereotype that cooling vests and accessories are only for people who are weak or vulnerable. Cooling devices worn by athletes appear high-tech and something that helps high performers excel. Maybe with time, more people will see them as not only normal but desirable.  

With age, I’ve embraced comfortable shoes and safety equipment. I love my hiking poles for the stability they provide and stress they ease when I’m navigating trails. On a paddleboard, I’m fine wearing a bulky personal flotation device. I’d rather focus on balancing and enjoying the water than taking risks. 

I’m eager to let go of self-consciousness when it doesn’t support my goals while recognizing it's not easy to let go of vanity.  I’m hopeful comfort and happiness become the norm for being cool, and I'll advocate wherever I can.