Today I’ll find out if I can stop my current drugs, or if I have to continue them. Mentally I’m prepared for my last two tablets. After that. I can’t rightly say…
Gift From A Friend
A friend sent me a gift. It’s funny how that happens sometimes. A sign, right when you need one…
Taking A Weekend Off
We’ve often been taught that if we truly want to get somewhere in our lives, we have to work hard and stay focused on our goals. But what if the best way to get from Point A to Point B is to detour to rest stops much more frequently? ― Thatcher Wine Hey, Lovelies! My […]
3 Questions To Ask Your Doctor If You Suffer from Chronic Illness, including Chronic Fatigue, undiagnosed illness and Long COVID
Because doctors can’t name the illness, everyone—the patient’s family, friends, health insurance, and in many cases the patient—comes to think of the patient as not really sick and not really suffering. What the patient comes to require in these circumstances, in the absence of help, are facts—tests and studies that show that they might […]
Off To The Doctor Again
There are only two sorts of doctors: those who practice with their brains, and those who practice with their tongues. —William Osler Hey, Lovelies. I’m off to the city with Ben to see my favourite physician, get some test results, and the next steps in my journey. I’m also in the thick of doing testing, […]
What It Felt Like Coming Home
Sometimes, all you need is the relief of coming home…
Milestones
My path has not been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones. ~ Agnetha Faltskog Hey, Lovelies. It’s been a pretty crappy 14 months healthwise, between late stage Lyme, a misbehaving heart, an intractable UTI superbug and a myxedema crisis – but I am delighted to say that I am […]
Not Fighting It
Fighting anything takes energy, so I’ve decided that’s not a great use of what little I have…
What I Did Yesterday
You’re never perfectly safe. No human being on Earth ever is or ever was. To live is to risk your life, your heart, everything. Rick Yancey Hey, Lovelies. So, yesterday I did something important for myself. I got my first dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. I made the choice to get vaccinated in consultation […]
I’m Still Too Angry To Talk About It
When people are hurting, what they really need is someone who is fully there for them – not someone who is condescending or officious. The only way for you to be there for them is by facing your fear or anger, whatever feelings cause you to shut down. Pema Chodron Hey, Lovelies. I reached out […]
It’s Not Normal To Be Happy All The Time
“Emotions, in my experience, aren’t covered by single words. I don’t believe in “sadness,” “joy,” or “regret.” Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I’d like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, “the happiness that attends disaster.” Or: “the disappointment of […]
I’m in self-isolation, and here’s why
“Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.” Asa Don Brown Lovelies, I’ve just closed down the perimeters of my life. I’m in lock-down. Self-isolated, here at my farm. I intend to stay here, isolated, except for essential outings, for some months. Perhaps even all year. And that’s okay. I have internet and […]
Gumboot Adventure and a Lyme Update
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you […]
The Sweet Smell of Night
“Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky. She carries a silver bowl full of liquid moonlight. She has a cat named Midnight with stars on his paws. Many people mistrust Pleasure, and even more misunderstand her. For a long time I could […]
A Nicole Update and A Little Lesson In Surrender
“After all, the true seeing is within.” ~ George Eliot, Middlemarch Did you know that the energies of November are great for all forms of metaphysical work, for clarifying our Life Path and for honouring a life-calling by owning our capacity to share knowledge? It’s also a month for honouring our connection to the natural world, and to […]
Nic’s Latest Update: Life as a #Lymewarrior
“O snail Climb Mount Fuji But slowly, slowly!” ~ Kobayashi Issa “Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.” ~ George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones Ah, Lovelies, I’d hoped to be bringing you […]
Boobs!
“The truth of the story lies in the details.” ~ Paul Auster Sorry. I couldn’t resist. When else would I get to shout ‘Boobs!’ as a title for a blog post? Because today, dear readers, it’s all about boobs. My boobs. Today is mammogram and ultrasound day as my very thorough specialist ticks every […]
Accidental Angels
“A magpie can be happy or sad: sometimes so happy that he sits on a high, high gum tree and rolls the sunrise around in his throat like beads of pink sunlight; and sometimes so sad that you would expect the tears to drip off his beak. This magpie was like that.” ~ Colin Thiele […]
Talking to Dragons
“Always speak politely to an enraged dragon.” ~ Steven Brust, Jhereg It’s after 3am. An odd time to be posting a blog. Still. I’m wide awake. I might as well stay up now so that I can do my morning meditate soon, as is my daily practice. It’s been one of those nights. The […]
Heartbreakingly Wonderful News
“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” ~ Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open: How Difficult […]
Catching My Breath
“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation The past few days have been a […]
My Sweet Poison
“Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it […]
2013 – My Blog in Review
“And it occurred to me that there is no such thing as blogging. There is no such thing as a blogger. Blogging is just writing — writing using a particularly efficient type of publishing technology.” ~ Simon Dumenco It’s hard to believe that two years ago I started my blog with a humble post […]