20
May
When Christopher Columbus first discovered my gorgeous, gorgeous birthplace of Trinidad, he thought he’d stumbled upon the Garden of Eden. Not such a bad place to have to visit the Grandparents, eh? xx
13
May
Sorry! I’ve been out to lunch!
A very, very long lunch that included a rager of a Ketamine Treatment up at Rush Hospital in Chicago to handle this CRPS/RSD. Oof!
I’ve been missing you all very much though! Loving your emails, they always keep me strong - you all are the most inspiring bunch I’ve ever come across.
And have you seen me on Twitter?! You can always catch me there!
I’ll be right back though. I promise. xx
03
May
HOW I OFTEN FEEL ABOUT CRPS/RSD & NERVE PAIN MEDICATION.
Jules Valles in ‘L’enfant’: “L says something absolutely brilliant that should be taught the World over! Not to mention it should be taken in a way that may be applied to all of us dumbfounded by such wisdom ;espace m’a toujours rendu silencieux”
(English: “Space had always defeated me to silence”.)
Layman’s term’s: Oh lawd! This is overwhelming!
29
Apr
14
Apr
Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”/ Unknown
Much easier said than done! But, with a little (ok, a lot…) of mindfulness, how amazingly strong do we feel through the moments we’re able to achieve this? xx
09
Apr
"How not to say the wrong thing..." Someone you know ill? Watch what you say and to whom.
Yikes! And there it is… that horrible, despicable, intensely cringeworthy moment. Uncle Merv has once again decided to explain the ins and outs of his knee surgery - performed 20 years ago, mind you - while the current patient sits silently, gritting her teeth in a combination of severe agony and angst. The patient’s thumb pounds the powerful red morphine button just a second too late; And as she softly drifts off, her relief is all-too-often interrupted by the words of recent AA convert Aunt Maggie warning of the dangers that modern medicine will most definitely bring.
Let’s get this straight…
Someone you know ill? Watch what you say. Watch where you say it. Watch to whom. Watch when.
Furthermore…
A slipped disk does not even remotely compare to Lupus. Nope.
Child birth does not compare to CRPS/RSD. Nice try. Wanna trade?
A double hip replacement is in no way, shape, or form the same as a Mastectomy.
NO! NO! NO!
Last but not least…
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
If the patient wants to talk, you don’t get to. No ifs, ands, or buts on that one. If the patient wants to cry, you get tissues. No ifs, ands, or buts on that one. You see where I’m going? The LA Times really got this. They even drew a diagram. It’s amazing and you should read the article. Ok? Click on the headline.
Ps: Ice cream. Always. And tea. Cups & cups.
(Trust! I am small, but I am wise.) xx
**It should be noted though, that while I agree with the LA Times on their analysis of how annoying it is for totally ridiculous medical conditions to be compared (Not a joke: I’ve had far too many randoms approach me at the grocery store to tell me about their golf injuries for it to be ok anymore…) I don’t 100% agree with their ‘ring theory’.
Why not? I find that one of the most balancing things for me has been my amazing friends and followers coming to me with their problems. Dump IN, Comfort IN and OUT… per say. It makes me feel real. Like a proper person capable of handling things. Besides, is that not my job?! To make people feel better in some small way? If I can’t do that then what’s left?*
05
Apr
You cannot avoid pain, but you can chose to overcome it. / Paul Coelho
04
Apr
01
Apr
Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
- Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott is one of my all time favorites in the literature department.
Today, however, thanks to the poem above, he is my absolute favorite (no offense to any of the others. I simply often rotate my classic authors in much the same way that kindergarteners rotate best friends and favorite colors - gotta keep them on their toes!)
There is much to interpret from “Love After Love” - It’s gorgeous so please, read it slowly, personally and take from it what you will. But, what is it in particular that I hear from it? What makes it so important to me today?
I love the idea of sudden self-reflection. How it may take place wherever. How it can take place whenever! But most importantly how it may lead you into a sudden positive upswing. From the ashes you may start to form a solid state of self-renewal and self-love as you begin to find your feet once again. It’s true that there are times in our lives where we may accidentally find we’ve become our own greatest strangers. I think it’s fantastic that Walcott puts it out there that this indeed may happen to almost everyone. Take comfort in this fact as you begin to find yourself! Don’t be ashamed or alarmed by the revelation that it has somehow happened to you too. Just breathe. Take things a day at a time. Reflect. And love. Always love. Because love comes after love comes after love. xx
