There are days (like today--another rainy, damp, icky one) where it is hard to separate myself and my EDS. My EDS is so intertwined with everything about me: how I feel, how I act, how I move. It's hard to remember that EDS is NOT me. Of course, it's become a part of my life, a much larger part than I ever would have imagined. However, facing pain and disability has also forced me to grow as a person--to become stronger, more observant, more flexible, more patient. I've slowed down a lot, but I've gained a perspective on life that I was never allowed before, always rushing from place to place. EDS has, of course, changed me. But it is not me.