W is for Wish

Wish - verb Feel or express a strong desire for something that cannot or probably will not happen.

I bet most 'regular' people would say that the first thing someone with a chronic illness or disability would wish for is to be normal and healthy.

 I bet that they are wrong. 

Sure, when things are tough, in times of frustration and anger we probably say that we wish our lives were different but we don't really mean it. Although our problems don't define us they do make up who we are, without them we wouldn't have the same perceptions, ideas or attitudes so wishing them away just isn't something we'd do. 

Of course I'm generalising a little bit and I'm sorry if you think that I'm being crazy but out of my spoonie friends I don't think more than 10% of them would genuinely wish away their problems. 
I've had this conversation with a friend of mine who has recently had some health issues that although chronic are pretty treatable and when I said I wouldn't give up my problems she was definitely shocked. It's not like I wouldn't give up the pain, that's what medication is for, because I seriously would. But if I had to chose between the pain and the fog, I'd chose the pain in a heartbeat. 

Since getting 'sick' my life has literally turned upside down and I now face issues that I'd never even considered before but I wouldn't change it, not really. Without them I wouldn't be where I am now, maybe I wouldn't think the same and I definitely wouldn't have a lot of the friends I do now.