OK, so the photo is accidentally very low resolution – and it’s not the most flattering image of me I’ve ever taken – but hopefully it gets my point across.
People who are sick are also capable.
A while ago I wrote a post about living with brain-fog and in response, Edward, a friend and fellow-blogger (here), suggested that I wear a t-shirt on the tough days to tell people (in a fun way) I was struggling. I jumped online and there it was; “Today’s forecast is BRAIN FOG” – it even had a little logo for a fog-lamp which I had been writing about – woo-hoo! (thanks Edward!).
About the same time as I was adding to my wardrobe, I also found out about the Sunflower initiative, where people with invisible disabilities wear a lanyard or pin, with the sunflower logo on it, to alert people to the fact that the wearer might need a little more time and support to navigate the situation (such as when you’re shopping, exploring a new place, or taking a trip on an airplane).
As a person with chronic migraine, there are plenty of days when I need to ‘lean into’ the version of me that lives with an invisible disability. That’s the “bad part” of being me – living with chronic illness makes me slow and unsteady (sometimes).
On the upside of being me, however, there’s also plenty of “good things” underway. I write a blog, Monday through Friday, sharing my tips and tricks and hopefully helping a few people along the way. [The mug in the picture has my healing mandala ‘logo’ on it – my daughters gave it to me for Mother’s Day earlier this year to show their support for my endeavors.]
Oh, and that big stack of paper that I’m holding? It’s the first draft of my PhD dissertation. 4 years in the making and 98,000 words (too) long, I still have a way to go to get it down to something closer to 85,000 words, but I’m unbelievably proud that I have something to hold onto!
Here’s the full picture so you can see the lanyard and all…
So – my point is – people who are sick are also capable. We are often (un)productive, swinging between the polite lie of “I’m fine” and a genuine “great thanks”, one day after the other, sometimes even swinging between both moods on the SAME day.
People with a disability have plenty of ability!
If you know someone who lives with a chronic illness or chronic pain, help them celebrate their successes as they occur – I have no doubt that A LOT of effort has gone into making their dreams come true.
If YOU live with a chronic condition, know that I get you – somedays are so hard, no doubt about it… but on the days that are not terrible, keep going and keep growing, take those baby steps towards being the person you want to be… or being the amazing person you already are!
Now, before closing off for the week and wishing you all a wonderful weekend, I want to do a quick blog-shoutout to celebrate 7 months of blogging (yep, tomorrow will be the 17th again – which means it’s my blogging anniversary – boy how time flies!). Here’s 11 blogs that I have come across in the last month that have piqued my curiosity and kept me reading and writing.
To help keep the fabulous communal spirit that is Blog-Land alive, click on any of the names below, meet a new blogger and leave a message on their post to say hello!:
Black Quill blog: blackquillblog – The writings of a Crow
Curiosities, Castles & Coffee shops: The musings of a curious mind
Couple of Words: Couple of Words – Not today …
Life with Charli: Even just a little inspiration goes a long way
Life target: Life target – exploring the right target of life
Love life with Dawna: Love Life with Dawna
Mood Verses: Mood Verses
Nutsrok: The humor and humanity of storytelling
Reunions and Secrets: Blog Posts – Reunions and Secrets Blog
Silk cords: Ramblings from the one and only Silk Cords
The Wild Pomegranate Tree: Reimagining the Hebrew bible with humane, healing, inclusive and joyful themes
Here’s cheers to everyone living their best life… however hard that living might be – hang in there – you’ve got this!
Take care, Linda x
The Mindful Migraine 
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