Why Lists are So Important to Me

I love lists. I make lists for everything. List making became more important to me after being diagnosed. Physical pain messes with my brain. I often experience brain fog or have moments when I struggle to remember simple words. I use lists for grocery shopping, packing, and more. When I make and use lists the odds of my forgetting something are very low. I am lucky to bring home one or two items I intended to buy if I go grocery shopping without a list. Lists don’t guarantee that I won’t forget something, as I often forget at least one thing on my grocery list. A few weeks ago I spent a day at Disneyland and quickly found out why I can’t live without lists.

My trip to Disneyland

The night before visiting Disneyland, I packed my care bag (a bag filled with items I need for comfort and care while away from home) without a list. I don’t know if I was feeling over confident, because I have been doing this for many years or if I just forgot. The next morning, after arriving at Disneyland, I reached into my purse to retrieve my pain medication. To my surprise, it wasn’t in my purse or in my care bag. A day at Disneyland always ends with my body experiencing additional pain, even when I medicate with medical marijuana. I froze when I realized that I was going to have to spend the day without anything to reduce my pain level or to help combat muscle spasms. If we hadn’t brought along a guest I would have cut the day short, but I promised our friend a magical day and I was not going to let my mistake ruin it. Long story short, I survived and we had a blast!!!

Lists are essential

I don’t regret staying. In fact it helped teach me an important lesson. I learned just how essential lists are in my life. Typically when planning for a day out, I create a list of all I will need. The night before I check off the items as I pack them or place them on my wheelchair. Then before we put our things in the car I check everything off once again. Had I followed my normal preparation routine it would have only taken me only one or two days to recover. Instead, I experienced bone crushing pain throughout my torso, severe leg spasms, and horrific bone pain, for almost a week after. Lesson learned!