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Do You Want to Help Heal a Heart?
I remember receiving my first diagnosis. I never imagined then, at 18, that there would be a time when I would look back at just one diagnosis in rose-tinted nostalgia. Perhaps it’s better that way, I have a laundry list of diagnoses now, but none of the labels constrain me. The disabilities are just the footnotes, I am the adventure story. But I’m getting ahead of myself, that’s not where I began. In the sterile office, with fading winter light slanting in through the blinds, and the grey institutional carpet under my red ballet shoes, I heard the doctor say those words ‘no cure’. I took the wound to my…
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Guest Post: A Contemplation of Beauty
Remember the beauty of your body: The curve in your neck Crows feet around the eyes Stretch marks from childbirth Worn hands Your belly with its round enjoyment Beyond the untouched beauty of the newborn, our bodies show we have lived: we are alive. Remember the beauty of your heart: Sacrifices for the ones we love Compassion for strangers Empathy that our stories evoke Peace when we truly feel heard Anger that insists on better Even fear that reminds us what is important, even as it stops us in our tracks. Our hearts’ beauty brings meaning, connects us. Remember the beauty of the things we cannot know: The moments of…
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Immune Suppression and Winter Loneliness
We had the first proper frost here yesterday. The grass was crunchy underfoot (and wheelchair wheels), the air was bitingly cold. My yoga trousers did not provide enough protection and Linus dashed back into the house to grab my fleece lined leggings (yes, they exist, yes, they are awesome). There are lots of wonderful things about winter but it can be very isolating. In winter it’s easier to get lonely, especially if you have a chronic illness or need to stay at home for any reason (caring for small children/an adult, working from home, living in an isolated area, etc.). I’ve just had a viral infection, and last winter I had chest…
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Why I Write
The fabulous Theresa Reed tagged me to share Why I Write. Thanks, Theresa, here it is. (And while you are here, you simply must check out Theresa’s sensational new offering Entrepreneurcast.) What am I working on? Right now, I’m doing some deep healing, and my writing is mostly focussed on journalling and adventures in inner exploration. But I’m also working on: The Phoenix Flight School – for entrepreneurs and would-be-preneurs living with illness, pain and disability on how to run a successful, profitable, sustainable and world-changing business while sick. Refining The Phoenix Fire Academy from the feedback of our lovely beta testers. Look for it to open again in 2015.…
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Ferguson, The Middle East, Terror and War: How To Cope In Times of Fear
The world can be a scary place. All around us – on the news, billboards, Twitter, the internet, our inboxes, on the lips of neighbours. As our global village gets smaller and our means of interacting with others grows more bountiful, so too do the often frightening realities of others become larger. More vivid. Graphic. Overwhelming. Scary. And though observing isn’t as difficult as actually living in a war zone, surviving an unfathomable social injustice or experiencing a violent incident, it can trigger anxiety, stress or even depression. When we lose touch with our own reality and self with each manifestation of upset and fear, the effect on our lives can…
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