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Insomnia FUN

So as many of you know, I have had insomnia daily for over 19 years – even on meds. The other night was especially difficult and when I had some coffee in me, I created these memes. Whatcha think?

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Sometimes All You Can Do is Laugh

I don’t know about you, but the last few years have been difficult. I keep thinking the next year will be better and, in some ways, each has been. BUT…in many ways each year has been full of trials, and struggle and it gets old after a while, right?

2018 is coming to a close and I will leave it with a few more diagnoses: Essential Tremors and neuropathy being two of them.  But it has been a difficult year financially. Another year of temporary assignments for my husband may leave him without a job for the holidays again. We are trying to fill the financial void by revamping a couple of our small businesses.  My Grape Stuff website is currently in transition to carry some awesome purple products and I have started a freelance copywriting business.

I am happy to say that I have two copywriting clients who have a fabulous ministry and business presence on social media that I am working for them.  It really helps when you believe in what your clients are doing and they are AMAZING!

However, as the holidays approach, it is difficult to face the fact that very few companies will be hiring. It’s not always easy to rely on the Lord in the interim as we wait on a job. Maybe you’ve felt that way too during your life beyond just surviving.

I keep coming back to my sense of humor. While it doesn’t take much for me to see the humor in things, it does get more difficult to find the humor in things as those things go from temporary to what feels like eternal.  It’s been almost four years that we have been on this particular financial roller coaster.

Sometimes the only thing we have left in our quiver is humor – if we can find it. So, I challenged myself to find the humor in the absurdity of what happens to me from day to day.  Here’s something I wrote when in a Fibro flare this happened:

So far so good.  How about you?

P.S. For those waiting on my Vlog series, 20 Steps for Finding Joy in the Trials, I promise I’ll get more out soon!

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Pet Peeve: Someone has it worse than you!

I’m in the middle of working on the rest of the Finding Joy in the Trials series. I promise to get some more out soon, but until then I had to share this.  Over the last several years, I’ve seen several memes on Facebook that said something like:

“I’ve heard that no matter what you’re going through, someone has it worse.”

Not only is that dismissive of someone’s trials, but it causes people to feel afraid to reach out to those who can be supportive and helpful.  Further, while we are all dealing with struggles, each one handles things differently. What we need during times of stress is uplifting not shaming.

It doesn’t help you to know that somebody has a more dire problem or is more in debt. What you need are answers.  It most certainly can help you to know that you aren’t alone, but the first thing someone needs when they are hurting is to know they are understood and that their feelings are valid.

Can we all agree to be uplifting rather than dismissive? Could we choose to help and support first before we tell someone their needs aren’t important?  Let’s let the first thing out of our mouths be, “I understand” or “I’m so sorry” or “What can I do to help?”

Thank you.

 

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Vlog Series: 20 Steps to Finding Joy in the Trials- Part 5

I pray you are finding blessings in my vlog series so far!  Here is part five of 20 Steps to Finding Joy in the Trials.  This one is a wee bit longer, but it is well worth the time.  Enjoy!

I’ll see ya next week with part six!  If you haven’t viewed the intro or any of parts 1-4, just go up to the Blog tab and scroll down to view any you missed.

 

Blessings!

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Vlog Series: 20 Steps to Finding Joy in the Trials- Introduction

Hi Survivors! I have a TON of great info I recorded for the Facebook group I had going, but they are very long videos. I wanted to make them available to everyone who could use a way to find the joy in their own struggles, but the videos are very long.  The first webinar, 20 Steps to Finding Joy in the Trials was almost an hour long!

So, I chopped it up into bite-sized pieces that are more easily digested and internalized.  Here is the introduction:

The way this will work is: I will be releasing one video with one step to joy each week here on the blog.  So, make sure you come back or subscribe to the blog!

I pray each of these is a blessing in your life!

JoJo

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Having Fun with Chronic Illness

So several of you asked for an update and here it is.

It was Needle Day the end of May. I had an EMG (they stab you with little needles to see if there is nerve damage…sounds like fun, right? ) that found neuropathy in my hands which is probably carpal tunnel.

Later that day I had the blood test for cancer markers which my Oncologist said still shows that I am cancer free!

It was a painful day, but the worst part was I had to wear a red wrap instead of a purple one.  Oh, the horror! ROFL

After seeing the neurologist again for his thoughts on the matter, I now have a few more diagnoses to add to the list.  Along with the neuropathy and growing arthritis, I now also have Essential Tremors.  This is usually familial but isn’t for me as nobody in my family knows of anyone else in the family who has/had it.

It isn’t serious like the Parkinson’s and such they ruled out and it is slow growing.  I’ve probably had it since I was in my late 20s. I thought it was a sugar problem as it was mostly in the mornings before I ate as well as several times I had what I thought was a reaction to too much sugar.  I’ve since limited my sugar intake.  However, I do poke myself in the eye with my mascara and have been known to spill my coffee if I’m not careful in the mornings.  Other than that, I’m good to go for a while. When I’m in my 70s or 80s and I begin to resemble Katherine Hepburn, the medical community may have some better treatments. Until then, I watch my sleep, sugar, food, and try not to stress too much when people think I’m nervous or on something. LOL

Since most of these diagnoses don’t show up in blood tests, I can confidently say that I’m NOT weird!  Now some of you may not agree, but to paraphrase Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, I’m not weird; my doctor had me tested!