Commuting With Crohn's

I have been commuting from Terre Haute to Indianapolis for about a month and a half now.  Several times I have been asked, “How is your drive?” or “How are you doing this, I couldn’t do this?”  These questions have got me thinking about how am I able to do this every day? 

While I’m driving, of course, I am mulling this question over and over in my mind.  What has brought me this far to allow me to handle the stresses of driving a long distance?  Several answers to this question have I come up with. 

It’s all about perspective.  It’s a choice you have to make to make the best of your circumstances.  It’s mental toughness.  I believe dealing with the ups and downs of having Crohn’s disease has provided me the ability to choose my attitude.  I can choose to view driving as a pest or I can choose to view it as an opportunity for growth.  One cannot achieve the skill of maintaining a positive attitude without first honing their mental toughness.  In my darkest moments with Crohn’s, I had to mentally tell myself to be strong when my body no longer was.  Each bad morning, I had to train my thoughts to focus on the hope for a better tomorrow.  I could not give up.  Focusing on the blessings that were in front of me, I allowed myself to choose a positive perspective. 

I could have sat around and moped all day, but self pity would not get me anywhere.  Besides, how could I feel sorry about myself when people were dying of cancer or living in a third world country without any medical help at all!  The same goes with driving.  I could be resentful about moving to Terre Haute and having to sacrifice my time each day to drive to work and back, but I’m not going to let myself think those kinds of thoughts.  I chose this.  I chose to move to Terre Haute so my husband and I could make a better life for us.  I chose to support my husband in accomplishing his dream.  I have no one to blame but myself.  By focusing on the blessing of this move, this commute cannot be allowed to bother me.

We have been blessed with our first home, a new job opportunity, and the closeness of family.  While driving, I have the opportunity to have quiet time to myself.  I can use that to jam to music, listen to a book, pray, or think about writing this blog.  It’s one place where no one can disturb me.  How can I look at my commute as a negative experience, when 3 years ago I was literally shitting my pants in the car!  I couldn’t go 5 minutes without having to go the bathroom, and I was wearing diapers to prevent shitting all over my car seat.  That alone is enough to see driving this commute as a blessing!  Plus, I just found an awesome relax driving playlist on Spotify!  Score!!

Disclaimer:  This article is not suggesting that there are not difficult days on the road.  That is not true.  In the road of life, there are good days and bad days.  There is traffic, construction, and stupid people.  Sometimes you might even be in the middle of a police car chase!  True Story.  The point is, perspective is everything.  How will you choose to view your difficult circumstances?  Will it be through eyes of hope or bleakness?