Finding the meaning in the now and remaining aware of any aliveness during experiences that feel deadening can be extremely helpful for getting through difficult times. This is a challenging task but when possible can bring much solace. Sometimes the best way to describe the experiences of people who live with chronic illness is through poetry, metaphor, or art. The following is a poem about the struggle but importance of staying in the present moment when living with illness.

"Is this a life I want to live?
Pain, hurt, insanity. I hate this way it has to be.
It eats my soul to see this me, and yet I'm here as I breathe.
I am alive. I'm here. I breathe.

I'm living in this moment my life I see in front of me.
I don't know future and past is past, but I know the present has life inside of me.
I will go on, a part of me says. My breath has spoken. I live. I breathe.

But what of all this pain and suffering? What about the tubes and needles, masks and pumps?
They are my life as I breathe, what can I do if living with these?
I guess I breathe with the suffering that comes with mortal body, with the pain that is part of humanity, with the fear of losing my breath... but now I am here. I live. I breathe."