I was trying to think of a good song lyric for the title of this post and the first thing that popped into my head was “One is the loneliest number” (written by Harry Nilsson, made popular by Three Dog Night), but I settled on a line from “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” by U2.
Tonight, I spent an hour on a Zoom call with EFMN’s Adult Connect group. A bunch of people with epilepsy get on a call once a month and… be people. With epilepsy.
I honestly can’t imagine what my life would be life if I didn’t have a supportive community around me. Family and friends who know I have epilepsy and it doesn’t phase them. When I couldn’t drive, they could give me a ride to run simple errands. When I’m having a seizure, they’ll wait until I’m able to start talking again. When I’m struggling (physically, mentally, emotionally), I have a lot of people capable of helping to lift me up. Or lift up heavy things when I’m not supposed to carry more than 10 pounds.
I might be capable of being fully independent, but why? Why spend all my time feeling alone and miserable? Even if that Zoom call is full of people’s struggles and frustrations, there’s still a feeling of connection, of togetherness. Being part of a community that can relate to me (and I can relate to them) is more valuable than I can say. “You don’t have to go it alone.”