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A friend of mine was recently on a flight home, and she shared with me the conversation she had with the guy sitting next to her.

She said she was impressed with how wise he was at the young age of 20.  He told her that he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in life.  He said he decided to take some classes at his local community college because at least that way he was continuing to move forward.

This guy has a good plan that should be a lesson for all of us.  It doesn’t matter how old we are, we can keep moving forward in at least one area of our lives.

I think by the time I turned 12, I realized that life is full of challenges. I also realized that we don’t always have much control over the challenges we face, but if we keep moving forward, we will eventually find solutions to guide us through difficult times.

I try to keep moving forward, but I will admit that some days are tough. Instead of finding solutions to new challenges, I would rather grumble about how my life was so much easier before ALS.

Fortunately, despite my challenges, I have found some new ways to move forward.

A few months ago I joined a nonfiction book study.  I am reading books that I would not have chosen for myself, but I feel like I am back in school because I am learning something from each book.

I belong to an ALS support group, and I am learning that ALS does not have to define who we are. Many people with ALS find alternative ways to keep doing the things they love to do. The resilience of the people in this group has taught me so much.

I am also spending time learning about technology.  I have learned to type all my columns on my phone by texting.  I attend meetings via Zoom calls on my computer, and now I am learning to type with my eyes using my new eye gaze device.

I realize that we all have limitations. We can’t move forward in all the areas of our lives, but we should keep striving to shine in something that is important to us.