Working on the balance between honouring and celebrating where I’m at, but not forgetting where I was (or where too many people still are).
I’ve been feeling some discomfort in sharing the highs without adding a caveat about the minutia that makes up the reality behind the scenes. It’s a battle between “I don’t owe anyone an explanation”, and, “if I want them to understand I have to educate them”. The weight of responsibility I feel to never allow those without a voice to be forgotten about is also always there.
But I’ve got to get back to sharing for myself; as someone who lived with severe M.E. who now enjoys the ‘freedom’ of moderate M.E. and endures the restrictions and limitations that still plague a life at this lesser severity.
I think we’re allowed some ‘time off’ from advocacy despite the constantness of the illness itself.
The first half of this year has been really challenging, not least because the world is on fire and the pandemic continues and it seems like only a few of us are aware of those things.
But I wanted to share some of the good bits, like we do via my Instagram stories on Tuesdays every now and again.
It’s an exercise in getting back to sharing according to my own page boundaries; one of which is that I’m okay with being misinterpreted. If people will make assumptions based on 10 photos then so be it, you know?
IMAGES:
- Our alfresco date where we scooted/walked to have fish and chips by the river
- Homemade gluten free profiteroles
- Sprouts. Always sprouts 😂
- Seeing ducklings for the first time in years (because I don’t get out much) on my way to counselling
- Visits from the nephews
- Visiting my grandma (which also means managing the car journey there and back)
- More visits from more nephews
- A (quiet) pub garden catch-up with my best friend and getting to see her home for the first time
- Time with my parents and brother for Father’s Day
- Half an hour of peace and a change of scene by the river while my husband got his haircut
'M.E. myself and I' by Anna Redshaw 