One of the hardest things I have found to do is to deal with fear as it relates to my health.

As we grow older new problems seem to come our way. The question is how does one learn from our experiences to accept change and face it straight on. I am a woman who has lived a very long time by most people's standards, but it is I who must learn to adapt to life or I will destroy the enjoyment of each day as it comes my way.

Today was one of those days when instead of calling the doctor's office, I needed to take the responsibility into my own hands. Growing up never stops, and that is a message that human beings tend to forget. 

I have tried prayer and using whatever answers my doctor has offered me. However, they don't work the same way every time, particularly if the responses he has given me are not followed without asking how one is to follow that advice. Not completely understanding what we are told can often be more harmful then taking the time to ask what exactly they are advising us to do and how we are to follow their instructions. 

If we are not good listeners, we may well find ourselves full of unreasonable fear. Staying healthy should be a shared responsibility between both the patient and the doctor. 

In the past something may have helped us to deal with a specific health problem, but that does not mean that we should automatically follow the same instructions on every occasion. Staying in good health needs to be a combination of our doctor's advice and self knowledge.

The mistake I appear to have made is to spend more time letting go of fear and learning to think logically on my own when problems arise. The telephone was only one way for us to communicate. It comes to me, that what we need to learn is often best learned from paying attention to what has worked for us in the past, and when health problems arise, rather than being fearful, we need to approach a particular health issue calmly and let go of the fear that tends to get in the way of rational thought.

These words are hardly meant as a lecture. What I am trying to do is to send a message to my readers who like myself can possibly learn from it. My hope is that the words on this page may reach someone out there who is struggling with similar issues.