Hey, where's the joy??

I look for little snipets of joy all the time.  Joy is such an integral part of quality of life and if you don't have quality of life, what's the point?  You know, every day is a good day, but some days are harder than others.  The harder the day becomes the harder I look for the joy.  It's like being a sleuth gathering clues in search of an elusive prize.  The more elusive joy becomes the more determined I become to find it.  Not having joy in my day is not an option.  I have constructed a mental list of reliable joy sanctuaries so I am able to get my dose of joy any time I need it.  When all else fails and the trail becomes temporarily lost, I am comforted by the knowledge that joy can be found in obscure places; places that others may not recognize.  To find joy you must be highly observant and intuitive and be receptive to the clues all around you.  If you wait for joy to be delivered to you in a neat little package you will fail to recognize joy when you see it.  Joy presents itself differently wherever you

Change is inevitable . . . fear and anxiety are optional

If there is anything I know for sure it's the reality that change is inevitable.  We live in a dynamic world that keeps changing at an ever faster pace.  Our own bodies are dynamic and change throughout the day; some of those changes are visible as decades go by.  We also feel the change in our bodies, especially when a chronic illness comes knocking.  As people age there is a tendency to feel more vulnerable, which is frequently expressed with fear, anxiety and depression.  People that suffer from a chronic illness are also prone to developing fear, anxiety and depression, and people with fibromyalgia are no exception.  Living with those feelings of vulnerability and the accompanying fears are difficult to cope with every day and can be debilitating.

I have experienced these emotions throughout the decades of my life during times of significant change.  Those times gave me an opportunity to examine my own perceptions about the events that had immersed me in a dark and scary place.  But I have learned that if I don't like a situation I have three choices:  I can either accept the situation as it is, I can alter or change my participation in the situation or I can change my perception of the situation.  That is the only control I have in the whole world; control over myself.

When I think of all the changes in my life it is apparent to me that many of those changes orignally presented themselves as a larger than life negative challenge.  Most of the life challenges and changes

Engaging with positive auras improves your well-being

My last blog was focused on Highly Sensitive People and the impact  the environment has on these people.  You may be able to identify with some of the characteristics of being highly sensitive and other characteristics probably didn't quite fit for you.  This is because the human brain and the development of personality are so complex and each of us express our genes in a way that is unique to each of us.  I am an identical twin and I have been fascinated with the differences between my sister and me.  While we are so much alike in some ways there are also vast differences between us too.  I have fibromyalgia and my sister does not.  Since my sister and I are genetically identical, what accounts for those differences?  The latest research shows that the differences are expressed in the "tune" each of us has decided to play with our own unique variation of the same song.  Our genes are therefore expressed differently and with the differences in our environment we have developed into very different people.  The Highly Sensitive Person may be histrionic and theatrical . . . that does not describe who I am at all.  I tend to be stoic and practical, and I enjoy sitting back and observing "the action" around me.  I am not overreactive and take the time to process and analyze sensory information to the nth degree.  Sometimes I process and analyze that information too much!  I find that I instinctively seek out places to go that have good karma.  The gentle yoga class I attend has such good karma and the people there are warm and inviting, and they understand the challenges that life has posed for me . . . they share the same daily challenges too.  Inspite of those challenges we all laugh and hug and share those positive energies that highlty sensitive people so readily share.

So let me tell you about my favorite cafe that I am instinctively drawn to.  I have mentioned this cafe in a previous blog post . . . it's called The Z Cafe.  This is a place that has very good karma and I have analyzed and processed the interactions I have there that renew my energy and help me to feel better.  At first I thought it was just about the wonderful latte that is served to me each time I go or the Mikey's Special Oatmeal that I order with fruits, nuts and fluffy steamed milk topping an otherwise drab and tasteless dish.  This energy gift that I receive most times I am there is about the beautiful,

The Fibromyalgia Warriors . . .

A long time ago, maybe 18 years, I was reading a mini book about chronic pain and there was a quote that struck me, and you may have see this before too:  "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional."  I wish I could give proper credit to the author, but that little book is long gone with the several moves I have made.  The reality of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that both chronic pain and misery are inevitable.  The optional part is how you choose to approach pain and misery.  Not a task for wimps, that's for sure!  I am impressed and inspired by the number of people with Fibromyalgia/CFS that approach their illness with dignity, grace, fortitude, humor and comraderie.  Not every chronic illness has both components; dealing with pain and misery together is the sign of a courageous warrior.  It isn't easy to identify these warriors, because they wear a clever disguise:  smiles.  How remarkable is that?  These warriors look "normal", they act "normal" and they don't complain.  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.  The energy it takes to be among other people and have a conversation is astounding.  Especially when word find is so difficult and fighting through foggy confusion to gain clarity is ever present.  And that dang pain and misery can be so hard to ignore with its constant tug at the consious brain.  Kudos to all those warriors that wear their clever disguise every day and to those warriors that dare to tell the truth in a public forum.  You open yourself up for criticism, but to say nothing is to risk nothing and is to be nothing.  I heard that line not long ago and I'll be darned if I can recall who said that!!



I thought I would share something from my garden that inspired me today.  These blooms are so fleeting, they last about a day.  It reminds me of the moments when I can push the pain and misery from the forefront and it becomes mere background noise.  Whatever you do today, enjoy your moments!  Blessings to you . . .