The sum of all experiences

If you lost a limb in an accident you likely would adapt to it over time. Still, there could be moments when you would look at people who hadn't experienced the same thing and think how nice it would be to not have had the accident. This would be perfectly understandable and expected. 

We as humans are highly adaptable but we are also emotional and prone to looking back wistfully at what might have been. We can reminisce about an old flame and forget that life with them wasn't quite as idyllic as our rose colored glasses would suggest today. 

Being where we are now and appreciating it fully without pining for something else seems to elude us and is likely a permanent mark on our DNA. We look at someone else's life and reflect on what that might feel like without fully understanding what they experience. 

Sometimes I reflect on what life without dysphoria might have been like and can be tempted to envy others. But then I remember that who I am today is the sum of all my experiences and removing that burden might have also weakened some other facet which needed to be strengthened as a consequence of my struggle. 

We are who we are; the sum of all our experiences.