I’m Human..and a little creative

This is yesterday’s journal prompts. I ended up taking a trip to the emergency room yesterday afternoon and was there until around eleven. My picc closed off and I had to go let them unclog it and open it back up. That’s the first time that’s happened. I thought they would have to take it out, but they had medicine that opened it back up. I thank God for that. Without my IV fluids I dehydrate quickly.

Personal Prompt: What is the one thing you wish others knew about you?

I’M HUMAN! Yes, I know all caps is considered yelling and yelling is rude, but sometimes that’s what I feel like yelling.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m unable to hear, unable to speak, unable to think, and invisible. Apparently being in a wheelchair classifies you as being all of the above. I get tired of being treated as some inhuman species just because I have some physical ailments that cause me to need a wheelchair and picc line. For anyone who doesn’t understand, my complex regional pain syndrome and gastroparesis do not affect my ability to see, hear, or speak. Neither disease is contagious either, so you won’t be catching them from me. I’m not made of glass and am not easily broken. If you genuinely care and want to know something, it’s okay to ask me questions. However, if you are only asking me how I’m doing because you think it’s the polite thing to do…don’t bother with asking. The words a person uses to ask questions about how I’m doing, along with the body language that goes along with their questioning, usually makes it pretty clear whether or not they care.

Creative Prompt: Create a list of creative things you’d like to accomplish this year. This can include books you want to read, crafts you want to do, etc.

This year, I hope to buy yarn and knit myself a sweater or a blanket. I’ve knitted lots of hats, scarf, baby blankets, baby sweaters, mittens, stuffed animals, and purses/bags for other people, but I hardly ever make anything for myself. I bought yarn back in November to make me a hat. I must admit, I felt a little selfish buying yarn to make something for myself. I told my mom that and she reassured me that it was okay to make myself something… that I wasn’t being selfish.

This year, I would also like to get back into painting. I have several blank canvases that my sister gave me. They are just waiting for a wave of creativity to wash over me and spill onto them.

I have several other little craft projects I would like to do this year. I’m thinking about making gastroparesis and complex regional pain syndrome awareness bracelets. Just a little something I could hand out to family and friends to help raise awareness.

I’ll try to post photos occasionally of the things I make this year.

Crafty Love

Personal Prompt: Name one thing you love that you don’t have time to do any more. Come up with a plan to try and incorporate that activity back into your life.

I love doing crafts… from knitting to sewing to painting to paper crafts.  I love crafts.  However, I’ve not made time to paint in weeks.  I’ve just not felt up to doing much of anything.

I really enjoy watching how to paint videos and learning by creating a new painting.  While scrolling through movies on Netflix the other day, I noticed they now have painting lessons on Netflix.  I guess I need to pick a project, gather my materials, and get back to painting.

Creative prompt: You can have dinner with any famous person (living or deceased). Who do you dine with and why?

If I could have dinner with anyone, I would want to have dinner with Jesus in the human form.  I’m a little iffy about saying that because I know when He comes back it’s going to be to take His people home and I know there are a lot of people who are lost out in sin.  So, maybe I could climb in that time machine I didn’t use the other day and go back and visit Him during the time He lived here on Earth.  I can’t imagine how amazing it would be to see the blind get sight, the deaf get hearing, the lame be able to walk, or the dead come back to life.  I can’t eat, so I would watch Him feast on fish and I would just admire His greatness.

 

Graphic from mycutegraphics.com

Out with the old…in with the new

January 1, 2017…today is the start of a new year.  As I start a new year, I look forward to whatever life has in store for me.  At the same time, I find myself reflecting on the up and down times I lived through last year.

2016 was a bitter-sweet year.  While my health situation was quite challenging, I managed to accomplish several things last year. If I had a bucket list, which I don’t, I imagine these would be some of the thongs I would list on it.  Around September, I started this blog to share my story with the world.  I needed an outlet where I could use my life, my story, to not only bring me peace, but to help add inspire others as well.  Just putting my story in words and posting it has given me a sense of freedom.  It’s seems as though putting my story in words is helping me deal with the daily challenges of living life with CRPS and gastroparesis.  I still haven’t shared the fact that I’m blogging with others, but I do have two followers and several likes.  Not only did I start this blog, I chose to submit one of my posts to “The Mighty.”. The Mighty is a community where real people facing the challenges of living life with serious health conditions share their experiences.  My story “The Moment of ‘Normalcy’ I Craved as a Student With a Disability”  was accepted and published on their website December 28, 2016.  As I move into the new year, I hope to continue to share my story and hope to be able to inspire others to do the same.  By sharing our stories, we can encourage each other and raise awareness of the health conditions we live with.  As I start the new year, I hope to be able to blog on a more regular schedule.  I don’t know if my health will allow daily posts, but I’m going to attempt the Mighty’s 30 Day Journaling Challenge.

As 2016 cam to an end, I did something I had been wanting to do for a long time.  Due to the pain, weakness, and lack of energy associated with CRPS and gastroparesis, I spend a large part of my day in bed.  When my carpal tunnel isn’t flared up too bad, I enjoy knitting.  I mostly knit hats because they are quick and easy.  My nieces and nephews all have hand-knitted hats from their crafty aunt.  Over the past few years, I’ve been knitting hats and dropping them in a bag.  I given several away as gifts, but my bag was running over.  I washed the hats, placed each one in its own Ziploc bag, and donated them to the local children’s hospital.  The hats ranged in size from preemie to teenager.  Some were plain single color knotted hats, while others had bows or looked like cartoon characters.  Here is a picture of some of the hats I donated.

I will never know who received the hats and they will never know who made them, but it felt good to be able to do something nice for someone else.  Having spent a lot of time in the hospital, I know firsthand how cold hospitals are sometimes.  I hope these hats bring warmth and love to the children who receive them.

While reflecting on the old and looking forward to the new, I also find myself thinking about the challenges I face during the holidays with CRPS and gastroparesis.  However, I think I’ll save that for another post… stay tuned!