A Smaller, Richer Life: Using Illness as a Chance to Grow

by Lucia McHardy

Illness is the beginning, not the end. If you let it, your illness can give you the time and space to change your life. It can help you find the strength and energy to move forward emotionally and spiritually.When a shell is broken, we see its strong, inner core. Illness is like that. It breaks us open, revealing the strength we never knew we had.This is a guidebook of stories, strategies and inspiration to help you on your way. It comes from my 15 year struggle with chronic illness. It offers hope and support, to make your own journey easier, and your load lighter. The early days of my illness were dark and frightening. What I needed was a guidebook for the road ahead. But I was home alone, stuck on my couch, and had lost my ability to read.But I could write, just a bit. So I wrote as if my life depended on it - and it did. At first, I scratched out my frustration in broken sentences; it was an unreadable scrawl. Then it became a flood of desperation, which seemed would never end. Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer. It was time to guide myself, and to begin to cope.I learnt slowly and forgot quickly. So each time I moved ahead or got stuck, I wrote about it. Then I began to write a series of short articles, which got published in a small local paper. Over the years my project grew, and eventually became the guidebook that I’d needed all along.Though the main theme is about coping with illness and disability, the primary focus is on mindfulness and simplicity. Read the book from cover to cover, or pick the topic that suits your mood."A SMALLER, RICHER LIFE" has short chapters written in a clear style, making it easy to read, even if you aren't feeling well. It offers encouragement and support, to help you make the most of what you already have, right now. The book has 29 chapters, organized in five AFTER YOURSELFYOUR INTERPERSONAL WORLDHOMELIFEENHANCING YOUR VITALITYCOPING WITH A RELAPSELike everyone else, the life experiences I had before I got sick gave me the tools to cope. Five years before I became ill, I travelled to Bali and Thailand, to learn more about the spiritual and artistic sides of life. When I came home, I took a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, to enrich my social work career. I had no idea that my travels and my studies would be so important for my these experiences gave me a wider perspective so that when disaster struck, I had the resources I needed to survive, and to write this book. ENJOY!

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011