IIAW - The power of "I admire you"

The words, I admire you can have significant influence in how well your chronically ill friend copes with their illness today.

Has anyone ever said to you, I admire you? How did that make you feel? In an odd way, hearing I admire you makes me want to try to do my best even harder. It gives me a little push that my efforts are noticed and make a difference.

Living with illness is hard. Maybe no one has told you lately just how hard it is.

When was the last time a friend looked in your eyes and said, You know what? I really admire how well you handle thing whole illness. Its huge. And you do all you do with grace, even when you are in so much pain.

Now, we who are living with illness are not perfect. Those of us with illness lose our cool, we lose our minds, we lose our step, and on occasion, we even lose our dinner. Illness isnt pretty and we know its not something people really choose to do, you just have no other alternative but to do it.

On the other hand, its nice to think that someone notices your efforts to smile through it once in a while, right? Because we are trying so hard! And it is not easy!

And truthfully, we dont want sympathy. We just want someone to say they notice, like when you get a new haircut or get the inside of your car cleaned out. We want a little Wow. Cool. Woop, you go!"

So tell someone today, I admire you–even if they are not chronically ill. Tell the teen that helps you to the car with your groceries I admire that you are working so hard in this heat. Tell your postman, I admire how you do this job every day. Tell someone I admire you and see if it makes a difference in their expression.

The power of "I admire you" is stronger than you think.