Harnessing the healing power of snark
If you haven’t yet responded to my 2-question survey, it’s not too late. You can leave you answers in the comments, or email them to me using the contact form.
Thanks so much for your help!
Questions:
If you’ve been visiting Cranky Fibro Girl for a while, you’ll have noticed that I haven’t been around much lately. Part of that has been due to our uprooting ourselves last fall and starting over in a new place. But another part of that is due to time: 12 years, to be exact. I’ve had the honor and the pleasure of sharing my stories with you here for the past 12 years. I’ve been so blessed by all the comments and emails you’ve sent me as we’ve shared this chronic illness journey together. And now the time has come for me to take a break.
I’ve sort of been on an unofficial hiatus, in that I haven’t been writing anything. But now I am officially announcing that I’m taking the rest of this year off, to let my mind know that it has permission to focus on other things. Or no things; I’ll. just have to wait and see. I’m creating a container of time and space and energy and permission and rest for myself, to do whatever I need to do to fill up and reset. To discover what I need to reconnect with the joy of writing and creating.
But before I leave for my blog break I have a request. I know there will be ideas percolating for me over the next 4 months. So when I come back I want to make sure that I’m writing about the things that matter to you, and creating things that help support you through your biggest challenges. If you would leave a comment with your answers to the two following questions, or email your answers to me through the contact form, I would really appreciate it.
I hope you all have a wonderful fall, and I will see you again in the new year!
Questions:
Ten years ago today, I wrote this:
“Welcome To My New Blog
For a long time now I have been intrigued by the idea of blogs, and I am excited that I finally have one of my own. I love the freedom of being able to get my thoughts and ideas out to lots of people so easily . I love having a space that gives people a chance to experience who I am when they visit my website. Most of all, I love being able to share all the fun that I have by just being me and being here in this life.
I found a great quote by John D. MacDonald that really sums up my approach to life. He says, “My purpose is to entertain myself first and other people secondly.” After that, everything else just takes care of itself.”
And now, here we are all these years later.
I’d love to have a beautiful, carefully crafted post that humorously touches on the highlights of each of these ten years, and then mindfully considers my hopes and dreams for the next.
But here’s what I have instead:
-A cat who will not get off of my keyboard as I write, despite the eleventy billion other places she could be sitting right now
-2 instances (that I know of) of disgusting cat things I have to clean up off of my office floor
-only having enough energy to either shave my legs OR wash my hair, but not both
-a narrow escape from collapsing on the grocery store in a despairing, tearful heap because there were too many choices for Father’s Day cards, and because they no longer carry Diet Fanta Orange
-infernal, interminable road construction directly outside my neighborhood, which makes it impossible to turn left, which makes it impossible to get to the other grocery store that does sell Diet Fanta Orange
-a mind that won’t shut up about how I am a failure as a blogger because, really, this is what you’re writing about today?
-and fibro pain that is a Level 7 and rising
However, in the grand tradition of my Both/And Life, I also have:
-cats who like to hang out with me wherever I am
-dinner cooking in the crockpot
-a fun day spent shopping with my neighbor and honorary niece and nephew
-new art supplies, new ink for my printer and gas in my car
-episodes of a newly discovered show waiting for me on my DVR
-wonderfully scented bath salts
-lots of Diet Code Red Mountain Dew
-and a husband who will be home in a few hours after a week-long business trip
But most importantly, although it was touch and go at times, I still have my sense of humor. Which tells me that there are lots more stories waiting to be written here.
So thank you, everyone, for taking this ride with me over this past decade. And here’s to the adventures that are still to come.
***
Remember that you can still leave a comment up until midnight tonight (Eastern Time) to be entered in the prize drawing. Just let me know where you’re from and how long you’ve been reading CFG, and you’ll be entered to win one of three $25.00 Amazon Gift Cards and a special coaching package offer from my partner-in-crime, Lynne Morrell.
So, we’re coming up on a big day here in Cranky Fibro Girl Land, namely, the 10th (TENTH!!) birthday of my blog.
To celebrate I’ve decided to host a little giveaway, and here are all the details:
1. I’ve put together a tiny quiz-a sort of treasure hunt through the archives.
a. If asked, do I always order Pepsi or Coke?
b. I hate going outside, because I am afraid of the Imaginary __________.
c. What is Mr. Cranky Fibro Girl’s profession?
d. Before I got sick I had my own business as a __________.
e. I am obsessed with the number __________.
2. Once you have your answers, email them to me at birthday@crankyfibrogirl.com
3. The contest closes at midnight Eastern Time on Friday June 12, 2015.
4. Each person who answers all 5 questions correctly will receive 1 entry into a drawing for one of 3 $25.00 Amazon Gift Cards (only 1 entry per person, total).
5. Over the weekend Mr. Cranky Fibro Girl will perform his special computer magic and randomly generate the 3 winners.
6. Winners will be announced on Monday, June 15th, 2015.
Happy Hunting!
And tonight I had to admit it.
Oh sure, there have been signs for a while now:
-the fact that the music from “Top Gun”, the defining movie of my teenage years, now frequently appears in its pan flute version as Muzak.
-the fact that when I said to one of my tutoring students, “Oh, we’re about to start the chapter on…THE PLANE”, and waited expectantly, grinning like an idiotic loon, he did not immediately respond with an impression of Tattoo.
-the fact that I began a sentence with, “When I was growing up in the ’70’s”, and the student I was tutoring gasped so heavily I thought he was going to pass out from oxygen deprivation.
-the fact that when I try to explain the parts of speech by singing, “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”, or, “Lolly Lolly Lolly, get your adverbs here!”, my students don’t join in and sing with me. Instead, they surreptitiously look around for the nearest exit.
But tonight I saw something that forced my out of my denial and into the truth: the cultural experiences that played a part in forming who I am are “officially” old. I realized this at the music store when I saw that the 3 disc sets of 80’s hits on sale for $9.99 looked EXACTLY like the 3 disc sets of the music from the ’40’s and ’50’s (or, Music That I Consider To Be Old)
Clearly fictionalized stories of my childhood, involving phrases like, “barefoot in the snow”, and “uphill both ways” cannot be far behind.
