Reggie -- It has been very helpful for me to put my HIV status on this and every site. Those that come to you will come knowing your status up front and act accordingly. --Not sure what it is, lately I have been clicking on muscular photos but find the ones with smiles are more attractive. -- I understand. It is normal to be scared, it will pass as you realize that being positive is not a death sentence. Death comes to us all: the infant in its crib, the teenager on the football field, the adult in traffic, the elderly by natural causes. Realize that you are more that the disease, just as you are more than the color of your skin, you are more than the car you drive, the job you have, the house you live in; you are more than anyone could ever imagine because you are an amazingly intricate creation of God. Yes, there will be a feeling of devastation, loneliness, and despair, but continue to live life and there will also be feelings of love, worthiness, respect and humanity. Please do not let being HIV+ take over your life; consider those born with severe birth defects, those with diabetes, those with mental disorders-what is it that allows them to live full lives-I will tell you that it is a force that is unimaginable and more powerful than our minds can fathom - and yes the human mind is one of, if not the strongest force know to humanity, yet there is something greater. That greater being allows us to live full lives regardless of our minor flaws and being HIV+ is just that, a minor flaw when compared to the big picture of life. The important thing is that we honor the life given to us and help others to do the same. Do not let one minor error control the majority of your life, you and the totality of your life are far more important than what has happened in a moment in time. Take this lesson, learn from it, educate others, be a witness to the greatness of the humanity in all of us. Yes, be scared. let that emotion run its course, then rejoice in the rest of your life. |