“Don’t feel discouraged
when your back’s against the wall…
you’ve found some support.”
~Michael Smith~
Showing posts with label Michael Smith's Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Smith's Work. Show all posts
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Friday, February 24, 2023
“Each Other’s Miracle” By Michael Tracy Smith
“Each Other’s Miracle”
There is a moment, after they tell you,
That you have an incurable, chronic degenerative disease,
That you feel all alone,
That you ARE all alone,
That you are the only one that you know that has to deal with something so huge,
so formidable, so difficult, so challenging and utterly life-changing.
There is a moment, after they tell you, That everything will be okay,
That you feel they are lying, that your life is now definitely and completely over,
and that no-one understands or knows the full extent of what you have lost.
We do. We who have what you have. We who’ve lost what you’ve lost.
We who feel the pain that you feel. We who struggle with what you struggle with.
We’re fighting to keep our lives from becoming less than what we dreamed they would be before all this.
And we’re scared that we are losing the fight.
We know. We know the fear of unknown disability and uncertain futures.
We know how what you thought you were is no longer how you are.
We know how hard life has become in more ways than anyone else can possibly know.
We know. We are a miracle in your life.
We are the vindication that you are not alone, that you are understood by someone.
We are your reassurance that despite it all, you can make it through the difficult times. We are your mirror and your sounding board.
We are your miracle.
We are not alone, we are united in our understanding.
We are each other’s insistence that we can carry on, that giving up is not an option.
We are each other’s lesson that our lives still have worth and can continue on,
striving to learn and then reaching out to teach, in an unending cycle of giving and receiving.
When you sink into despair, and think the worst,
We know. We have too.
We know all the levels of Hell that there are to know.
Just as you know them.
We are your miracle.
We will steady you, so you don’t fall, help you learn to cope and shed real tears for your pain,
which is the pain we, ourselves know all too well.
There is a moment, sometimes long after they tell you that you have an incurable, chronic degenerative disease,
that you come to know that you are still you and that despite it all, you are going to be all right.
We are each other’s miracle.
———————————
c 2004 Michael Tracy Smith
New York United States of America
12/7/1950 – 12/6/2016
Below is the link to Michael's Story
A.S. Face 0405: Michael Tracy Smith
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
A Day Without Pain
A Day Without Pain
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd treasure each moment and never complain
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd smile at strangers and dance in the rain.
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd sing every chorus and every refrain
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd help an old woman safely onto a train
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd be more productive and enjoy life again
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd look till I found you and shared every gain
If I could live a day without pain,
I'd be so excited I might go insane.
But when the day's over and all's said and done,
I'd want to remember that on that day...I won.
MTS💕
Saturday, August 19, 2017
It's Back
You can't begin to understand the feelings those two words meant to me.
The feelings it invoked in me.
The happiness!
The gratitude!
The relief!
The hope!
Michael T. Smith was one of the biggest advocates to ever walk this earth.
When anyone in the Ankylosing Spondylitis community thinks about awareness, you automatically think of him!
He was our beginning, our pioneer, our hope, our courage, our forefather.....
He was a man who struggled to share his experiences, not wanting to shine a light on his disease and his struggles with it.
But one day... I am not sure why, he decided to SHINE a LIGHT on Ankylosing Spondylitis.
And he did..... and so much more.....
His creation is back.... Our home, our beginning and his legacy.....
The feelings it invoked in me.
The happiness!
The gratitude!
The relief!
The hope!
Michael T. Smith was one of the biggest advocates to ever walk this earth.
When anyone in the Ankylosing Spondylitis community thinks about awareness, you automatically think of him!
He was our beginning, our pioneer, our hope, our courage, our forefather.....
He was a man who struggled to share his experiences, not wanting to shine a light on his disease and his struggles with it.
But one day... I am not sure why, he decided to SHINE a LIGHT on Ankylosing Spondylitis.
And he did..... and so much more.....
His creation is back.... Our home, our beginning and his legacy.....
Welcome To Spondyville!
Victoria,
There are no words to describe
the beautiful display of love
you have for your brother....
That you would battle
so hard during your darkest hours...
to Shine a light on his legacy...
In turn making you the
greatest blessing...
There are no words to describe
the beautiful display of love
you have for your brother....
That you would battle
so hard during your darkest hours...
to Shine a light on his legacy...
In turn making you the
greatest blessing...
Friday, August 18, 2017
Spondyville
A Celebratory Haiku for Michael Smith and Greenberg Victoria and of course for all of us! I am not sure this meets the standards or criteria of Michael's beautiful Haiku's.
But here it goes.....
A Haiku To Honor Michael Smith
But here it goes.....
Memories were lost.
A sister takes on Yahoo.
Spondyville is saved!
Never doubt true love
That is shared between siblings.
It will always win!
Vicky can relax!
Michael’s legacy is back!
Michael, rests in peace.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Change
Can you change? Are you willing to change? Are you willing to accept change that is thrust upon you? Can you fundamentally change the thrust of your life without regret for what might have been? Can you understand that what might have been, will always hold you back until you can let it go and stop yearning for lost opportunities? Do you know that your forward progress is tethered to your unfulfilled desires and will keep pulling you back until you cut that unfulfilled desire loose and bid it forever adieu. I understand how sad that may seem, but just know that you were not meant for what might have been, you were meant for what can be, and you will become that for which you strive towards, not from what you have been forced to back away from. Embrace where you are and do not weep for who you didn’t turn out to be. You were not put here to wallow in misery or have a life defined by dashed hopes, and unachievable dreams, you were put here to fulfill your own greater purpose and to reach for and achieve your loftiest goals. Don’t define yourself by past disappointments or thwarted ambitions, define yourself by the success you are about to work towards a better life.
Michael Smith
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Loss and Chronic Disease ... A Few More Thoughts to Ponder
Loss and Chronic Disease ... A Few More Thoughts to Ponder
Over the years, I've heard so many people with Spondylitis talk about loss; the loss of their ability to do certain things, the loss of relationships and friendships, the loss of careers, the loss of their old selves, the loss of their ability to feel good, and the loss of their future. But I seldom hear people talk about loss as being beneficial in opening them up to new pleasures, new experiences, new careers, etc.
Do you ever think of loss as simply a refocusing or re-shifting of your priorities? A re-shuffling of Life's options which is encouraging you to grow? Perhaps what we label as "loss" is the seismic event that literally forces us into becoming the person that, in retrospect, we really should have been striving to be in the first place?
Could you ever see having AS as an opportunity to literally get out of your comfort zone and expand who you are?
Does obsessing over what we've lost, or what we're no longer able to do, blind us to the whole range of new opportunities for growth that are awaiting us?
Does lamenting the loss of who we were, impede or interfere with our construction of the new and improved person that we will become?
What does it take to choose to work on who you can be tomorrow over trying to desperately hold on to who you were yesterday?
Is it as simple as giving yourself permission to be on a different path than the one you always thought you would be on?
And are we sometimes more comfortable staying in 'remorse mode' ... that state of perpetual despair, because at least when we're there, we know who and where we are and what we're all about, rather than experiencing the uncertainty of starting down a new path? ...
It seems to me that the dynamics of this disease can be held in a lot of different ways. We can obsess about what we have lost, or we can try to embrace the empty space which that loss has created, and savor the opportunity we now have to fill it with new and enriching experiences.
What do you think?
Michael Smith / Spenser23
Over the years, I've heard so many people with Spondylitis talk about loss; the loss of their ability to do certain things, the loss of relationships and friendships, the loss of careers, the loss of their old selves, the loss of their ability to feel good, and the loss of their future. But I seldom hear people talk about loss as being beneficial in opening them up to new pleasures, new experiences, new careers, etc.
Do you ever think of loss as simply a refocusing or re-shifting of your priorities? A re-shuffling of Life's options which is encouraging you to grow? Perhaps what we label as "loss" is the seismic event that literally forces us into becoming the person that, in retrospect, we really should have been striving to be in the first place?
Could you ever see having AS as an opportunity to literally get out of your comfort zone and expand who you are?
Does obsessing over what we've lost, or what we're no longer able to do, blind us to the whole range of new opportunities for growth that are awaiting us?
Does lamenting the loss of who we were, impede or interfere with our construction of the new and improved person that we will become?
What does it take to choose to work on who you can be tomorrow over trying to desperately hold on to who you were yesterday?
Is it as simple as giving yourself permission to be on a different path than the one you always thought you would be on?
And are we sometimes more comfortable staying in 'remorse mode' ... that state of perpetual despair, because at least when we're there, we know who and where we are and what we're all about, rather than experiencing the uncertainty of starting down a new path? ...
It seems to me that the dynamics of this disease can be held in a lot of different ways. We can obsess about what we have lost, or we can try to embrace the empty space which that loss has created, and savor the opportunity we now have to fill it with new and enriching experiences.
What do you think?
Michael Smith / Spenser23
Dreams and Chronic Disease
Do your dreams have to die just because you now have a chronic disease?
I don't believe so. Here's a few of my thoughts on the subject ...
When I was diagnosed with a severe form of AS, I had to change careers and I put a number of dreams on hold, but what I found out eventually was that I was on a totally different path now with different and equally interesting dreams to pursue.
I was in a high stress job in broadcasting when I was diagnosed, and the stress was aggravating the AS, so I left that job and found a less stressful one.
In my youth, I had dreams of being an actor and pursued that goal for a while, but I told myself that that dream was not one I could continue to have with AS, so I became a playwright. Ironically, a few years later, I ended up writing a number of one-person plays featuring a 90 year old curmudgeon character that I got to perform in regional theater and off-off-Broadway. A few years later, the internet came along and I discovered a whole new outlet for my creativity.
For those who fear AS will kill their dreams, I would tell them that the path to your dreams will always show back up. When you think you have put one dream away, another will bubble to the surface. Dreams don't really die, they undergo a metamorphosis so they can re-emerge somewhere down the road.
I've shared this analogy before, but for me the fact that my neck was losing its ability to turn was, to me, akin to putting blinders on a horse. It wasn't limiting to me, on the contrary, it focused my attention. I was all over the place when I was young, wanting to do everything, but this problem with my neck, forced me to look ahead and keep my mind on where I was going.
It got me focused in much the same way the old cartoons and silent movies used to use a small circle to zero in on a specific part of the movie frame so you could make sure to see some thing important that was happening.
You can hold having this disease in many different ways. Context is a powerful tool in coping. This disease can be held as a burden or it can be held as a challenge. It can limit you or focus your attention on what is really important.
Find the context in which you can hold having this disease and continuing to reach for your dreams. Sure, it may take adapting some of your dreams, it may take re-thinking them and finding the real essence of what you want to do, but dreams are all made up things anyway. If they go away, you just make up more of them.
Having this disease doesn't have to be tragic. Tragic is a feeling we apply to situations, it is not a requirement for having a chronic disease. Pretend you have never heard of anyone having a chronic disease, and then make up what it would be like for yourself, not what it's like based on all the movies and TV dramas you've seen, where people with chronic diseases always suffer and complain and seem either pathetic or noble in their suffering. Pretend you've never seen all those dramas and all that suffering. None of that is real and nothing says we have to follow any of those Hollywood scripts for our own lives. You can be in pain and still laugh and find the world to be a joyful place.
Remember, they're your dreams, you can make them fit how you are now.
It's all up to you, but here's what I suggest: Live your life as if you've been chosen for a very special and unique journey that only you get to experience. And remember, your dreams are your imagination's maps, which they ask your mind to draw. Simply draw them as you are, not as how you wish you could still be.
Now, stop sitting around moping and get outside yourself and play.
Michael Smith
I don't believe so. Here's a few of my thoughts on the subject ...
When I was diagnosed with a severe form of AS, I had to change careers and I put a number of dreams on hold, but what I found out eventually was that I was on a totally different path now with different and equally interesting dreams to pursue.
I was in a high stress job in broadcasting when I was diagnosed, and the stress was aggravating the AS, so I left that job and found a less stressful one.
In my youth, I had dreams of being an actor and pursued that goal for a while, but I told myself that that dream was not one I could continue to have with AS, so I became a playwright. Ironically, a few years later, I ended up writing a number of one-person plays featuring a 90 year old curmudgeon character that I got to perform in regional theater and off-off-Broadway. A few years later, the internet came along and I discovered a whole new outlet for my creativity.
For those who fear AS will kill their dreams, I would tell them that the path to your dreams will always show back up. When you think you have put one dream away, another will bubble to the surface. Dreams don't really die, they undergo a metamorphosis so they can re-emerge somewhere down the road.
I've shared this analogy before, but for me the fact that my neck was losing its ability to turn was, to me, akin to putting blinders on a horse. It wasn't limiting to me, on the contrary, it focused my attention. I was all over the place when I was young, wanting to do everything, but this problem with my neck, forced me to look ahead and keep my mind on where I was going.
It got me focused in much the same way the old cartoons and silent movies used to use a small circle to zero in on a specific part of the movie frame so you could make sure to see some thing important that was happening.
You can hold having this disease in many different ways. Context is a powerful tool in coping. This disease can be held as a burden or it can be held as a challenge. It can limit you or focus your attention on what is really important.
Find the context in which you can hold having this disease and continuing to reach for your dreams. Sure, it may take adapting some of your dreams, it may take re-thinking them and finding the real essence of what you want to do, but dreams are all made up things anyway. If they go away, you just make up more of them.
Having this disease doesn't have to be tragic. Tragic is a feeling we apply to situations, it is not a requirement for having a chronic disease. Pretend you have never heard of anyone having a chronic disease, and then make up what it would be like for yourself, not what it's like based on all the movies and TV dramas you've seen, where people with chronic diseases always suffer and complain and seem either pathetic or noble in their suffering. Pretend you've never seen all those dramas and all that suffering. None of that is real and nothing says we have to follow any of those Hollywood scripts for our own lives. You can be in pain and still laugh and find the world to be a joyful place.
Remember, they're your dreams, you can make them fit how you are now.
It's all up to you, but here's what I suggest: Live your life as if you've been chosen for a very special and unique journey that only you get to experience. And remember, your dreams are your imagination's maps, which they ask your mind to draw. Simply draw them as you are, not as how you wish you could still be.
Now, stop sitting around moping and get outside yourself and play.
Michael Smith
Dreams
Dreams
More thoughts to ponder: Dreams. Do they have to die just because you have a chronic disease? Someone asked about giving up dreams over on the SAA message board. Here’s what I think … what do you think about having to give up dreams? I had to change careers and put a number of dreams away, but what I found was a different path with other equally interesting dreams to pursue. I was in a high stress job in broadcasting when diagnosed, the stress was aggravating the AS, so I left and found a less stressful job. I had dreams of being an actor for a long time and even was one for a while, but I found that that dream was not one I could continue with AS, so I became a playwright and ironically, ended up writing a number of one-person plays that I got to perform in a regional theater and off-off-Broadway. I then discovered a whole new outlet for my writing on the internet. For those who fear AS will kill their dreams, I would tell them that the path to your dreams will always show back up. When you think you have put one dream away, another will bubble to the surface. Dreams don’t really die, they undergo a metamorphosis so they can re-emerge somewhere down the road. I’ve shared this analogy before, but for me the fact that my neck was losing its ability to turn was, to me, akin to putting blinders on a horse. It wasn’t limiting to me, but rather it focused my attention. I was all over the place when I was young, but this forced me to look ahead and keep my mind on where I was going. It got me focused in much the same way the old cartoons and silent movies used to ‘iris in’ to focus on a specific part of the movie frame so you could make sure to see some thing important that was happening. You can hold having this disease in many different ways. Context is a powerful tool in coping. This disease can be held as a burden or it can be held as a challenge. It can limit you or focus your attention on what is really important. Find the context in which you can hold having this disease and continuing to reach for your dreams. It may take adapting your dreams, it may take re-thinking them, but dreams are all made up things anyway. If they go away, you just make up more. Having this disease doesn’t have to be tragic. Tragic is a feeling we apply to situations, it is not a requirement for having a chronic disease. Pretend you have never heard of anyone having a chronic disease, and then make up what it would be like for yourself, not what it’s like based on all the movies and TV dramas you’ve seen, where people with chronic diseases always suffer and complain and seem pathetic. Pretend you’ve never seen all those dramas and all that suffering. None of that is real and nothing says we have to follow any of those Hollywood scripts for our own lives. Remember, they’re your dreams, you can make them fit how you are now. It’s up to you. Live your life as if you’ve been chosen for a very special and unique journey that only you get to experience. And remember, dreams are your imagination’s maps, which they ask your mind to draw. Simply draw them as you are, not as you wish you could still be.”
By Michael Smith
More thoughts to ponder: Dreams. Do they have to die just because you have a chronic disease? Someone asked about giving up dreams over on the SAA message board. Here’s what I think … what do you think about having to give up dreams? I had to change careers and put a number of dreams away, but what I found was a different path with other equally interesting dreams to pursue. I was in a high stress job in broadcasting when diagnosed, the stress was aggravating the AS, so I left and found a less stressful job. I had dreams of being an actor for a long time and even was one for a while, but I found that that dream was not one I could continue with AS, so I became a playwright and ironically, ended up writing a number of one-person plays that I got to perform in a regional theater and off-off-Broadway. I then discovered a whole new outlet for my writing on the internet. For those who fear AS will kill their dreams, I would tell them that the path to your dreams will always show back up. When you think you have put one dream away, another will bubble to the surface. Dreams don’t really die, they undergo a metamorphosis so they can re-emerge somewhere down the road. I’ve shared this analogy before, but for me the fact that my neck was losing its ability to turn was, to me, akin to putting blinders on a horse. It wasn’t limiting to me, but rather it focused my attention. I was all over the place when I was young, but this forced me to look ahead and keep my mind on where I was going. It got me focused in much the same way the old cartoons and silent movies used to ‘iris in’ to focus on a specific part of the movie frame so you could make sure to see some thing important that was happening. You can hold having this disease in many different ways. Context is a powerful tool in coping. This disease can be held as a burden or it can be held as a challenge. It can limit you or focus your attention on what is really important. Find the context in which you can hold having this disease and continuing to reach for your dreams. It may take adapting your dreams, it may take re-thinking them, but dreams are all made up things anyway. If they go away, you just make up more. Having this disease doesn’t have to be tragic. Tragic is a feeling we apply to situations, it is not a requirement for having a chronic disease. Pretend you have never heard of anyone having a chronic disease, and then make up what it would be like for yourself, not what it’s like based on all the movies and TV dramas you’ve seen, where people with chronic diseases always suffer and complain and seem pathetic. Pretend you’ve never seen all those dramas and all that suffering. None of that is real and nothing says we have to follow any of those Hollywood scripts for our own lives. Remember, they’re your dreams, you can make them fit how you are now. It’s up to you. Live your life as if you’ve been chosen for a very special and unique journey that only you get to experience. And remember, dreams are your imagination’s maps, which they ask your mind to draw. Simply draw them as you are, not as you wish you could still be.”
By Michael Smith
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Perfectly Said
Perfectly said from Michael Smith !
My question to you though is WHAT are you planning to do this year?
Michael posted: Thought while waiting for my access-a-ride: To all my friends with AS: Don't bitch about not wanting to be some stranger's teachable moment and then turn around and complain that no-one's heard of your disease. One of the gifts you can bring to raising awareness is your willingness to be that teachable moment, not just for your friends and family, but for complete strangers. In a little over a month, we will be beginning another "April is Spondylitis Awareness Month." Don't be an April Fool, be an Inspiring Spondy. Get out and share your AS story. The information you share with someone may change their life just as much as having AS has changed yours. AS is a life-altering disease, but when we teach, we can alter lives too.
This is a post shared by Michael Smith that really touched me.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Magic
Magic
The fact that today so many people look to magic or ‘magical thinking’ to solve their problems is a reflection of just how hopeless, powerless and out of control people believe their lives to be … Imposing Magic onto Life, blinds us to the fact that Life itself is Magic. And Life’s wonders are magical for the very reason that they are out of our control.”
Michael Smith
The fact that today so many people look to magic or ‘magical thinking’ to solve their problems is a reflection of just how hopeless, powerless and out of control people believe their lives to be … Imposing Magic onto Life, blinds us to the fact that Life itself is Magic. And Life’s wonders are magical for the very reason that they are out of our control.”
Michael Smith
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
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