5 Lessons I Never Really Paid Attention To Until My Life Flipped Upside Down

“Life lessons I pretended to know, but never paid attention to until my life flipped upside down when I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).

Lesson #1: Don’t buy the fancy car.

Buy the fancy car with the fast engine; its awesome to drive. But it won’t help me get from A to B when my new wheels become a wheelchair.

Lesson #2: Don’t buy the fancy handbag.

Buy the fancy handbag; I’m a sucker for a designer bag. But it won’t help me carry what I need when my hands lose strength, and I need easy access to stuff.

Lesson #3: Don’t buy the fancy trainers.

Buy the fancy trainers; strut around in style. But they won’t help me walk any further when my brain doesn’t communicate to my feet the way it should.

Lesson #4: Don’t buy the fancy watch.

Buy the fancy watch; it looks good on you, and we all love a statement piece. But it won’t shorten the amount of time I’m in a seizure for.

Lesson #5: Don’t buy the latest fancy phone.

Buy the fancy latest phone; it’s got some great features. But it won’t help my speech come back any quicker when I’m in a flare up and it disappears for days.

Forget The ‘Finer’ Things In Life

The point? You can buy all the materialistic things in the world. We’re conditioned to believe the more expensive, faster, and bigger things we have, the more successful we are in life. We’re all guilty of it. We live in a world where it’s too easy to compare ourselves to others.

But when life flips upside down, and you’re left with a body that malfunctions, how helpful are the $250 trainers? You don’t measure yourself through materialism, you measure yourself through how well you did in that physio session, or how long you managed to hold a fork before dropping it, or how many hours between seizures have happened.

Invest In What Really Matters

But let me tell you what’s a better investment: the money you are going to spend on a $900 Rolex, use it to take your loved ones on vacation. Go and create the memories with them instead. Invest your money in people, in your time, in making memories.

Because, when lying here in a hospital bed, I know the Ted Baker bag isn’t going to heal my brain, but the memories will help it feel a bit better.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by The Blondie Northerner of Northwest England. You can follow her journey on Facebook. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from The Blondie Northerner:

‘It’s nice to see the real you.’ All of a sudden, I questioned why I didn’t feel good enough without make-up.’: Woman shares journey to self-love

‘You may have a medical certificate, but you don’t have a certificate in me.’: Woman with rare disease pleas for doctors’ compassion, trust

Read more stories like this: 

Dad’s Daily Lunchbox Notes For Daughter Give Inspiring Lessons For A Lifetime

‘We carefully brushed glass off wedding attire we wouldn’t get to wear, and unpacked from a trip we’d never get to take.’: Woman shares powerful life lessons after nearly-fatal car accident

‘My rock, my biggest fan, my strongest person, was at his weakest.’: Daughter shares life lessons from father lost to suicide

Do you know someone who could benefit from this story? SHARE this story on Facebook to let others know a community of support is available.