Category: chronic illness

chronic illness, life, writing

It’s October!!!

Amanda, walkamyelinmyshoes
Callie’s grateful for her new sleeping platform in the garden.

The month of Canadian Thanksgiving. So, because there are too many things going on right now for me to focus and write an earth-changing blog post😉, I am going to list some of the things I am grateful for:

Our youngest child’s 10th birthday tomorrow. She’ll be getting her ears pierced, just like I did on my tenth birthday, as did her sister.

Her role as a Party Child in The Nutcracker with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet!

Our oldest daughter thriving in the music program at college.

Our son blowing our minds with his knowledge and dedication to learning all about trading – at 16.

Beautiful new raised beds letting me experiment finally with square foot gardening.

Finally making some progress towards our bathroom renovation. It has been years since we could use our bathtub – long story.

Finishing my first draft!!! With thanks to C.S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive for providing the free resources that helped make it possible.

Finding this story workbook tutorial by Stephanie Morrill at GoTeenWriters.com (yes, I’m in denial – don’t bust me!) that makes me feel like I have a direction for a second draft in time for Nanowrimo.

The monster being more or less quiet – or maybe I’m just getting used to it. At the very least, I’m not letting the MS control me like it used to.

There is so much to be thankful for! Mostly, I am grateful to my family and friends and all the amazing people I’ve connected with since I started this blog in June.

I’m just going to leave this lovely lady right here, in the spirit of the season. Check out the dude on her stomach!!

Spider on a web

Have a wonderful week!

❤️ Amanda

chronic illness, life, Quotes

Managing expectations

Amanda, walkamyelinmyshoes

A tree grows out of a large piece of driftwood.

This quote, adapted from Alexander Pope, struck me as quite negative when I first saw it. Then I realized that it does not refer to those with no dreams or goals, but rather to those who are able to recognize that life doesn’t owe them anything, and that there is beauty and power in the moments when life switches direction or ends as you know it.

There is no roadmap to life. No guidebook, no manual, no training but the experience of living it. Holding tightly to expectations of how life will turn out is a recipe for bitter unhappiness. After almost five decades (say what?? 😱) of experience I have learned that flexibility, the ability to roll with the inevitable punches, is key to managing stress and finding happiness in our busy world.

When you have a chronic illness, there is a new layer to managing expectations. A large part of the learning curve is pacing yourself. You go from being able to handle a full-time job, all the responsibilities of being a parent and/or spouse, running a household, socializing, volunteering and anything else you feel like doing, to measuring out your spoons every day.

And that’s okay. There are many ways to live a life. The challenges and suffering in our lives are what build character, so even in the darkest moments we can try to be thankful for this crazy, magical life we’ve been given. Being present in your life, not dwelling on how you thought things would turn out, or worrying about what the future will bring, in short having no expectations but instead a huge amount of appreciation for the blessings of existence itself, leads to a beautiful life.

Easy? No, of course not. Worth it? Definitely.

Please watch the video below to hear an amazing perspective from a woman who was sick and dying her whole short life. RIP Claire Wineland. 💕💕💕

I’m off to my writing retreat this week. I’m really excited but freaking out a little bit. Okay, a lot. Update when I get back.

Have a wonderful week!

❤️ Amanda