Snowflakes and Spoons

2016: From Wheelchair to first place This year has been one of   miracles   and hard work. In January 2016 I went on a family holiday to Dullstroom. I was so physically weak, my husband had to push me around this tiny tranquil town in a wheelchair. For short distances, I was able to use my walking cane, but facing a set of stairs felt like trying to climb a cliff face. I didn't know how I was going to keep on going much less working. Flash forward to December 2016. I am working 27 hours a week. I am independent in driving and all my self-care.  Even better than that, I have been able to not just start competing in dog agility but, win a few first places! What was my secret potion, you may ask? Honestly, there was no one specific thing, but a combination that worked for me. Just like replacing the blocks of my Jenga Tower . 1)      Having the right medical team I am privileged to work within the medical field and always have a...

I love Christmas time. All the festive gatherings, carols, putting up the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights and the wonder of our Saviors birth. One of the traditions when I grew up also included a MASS baking (and eating) of mince pies and cookies! Since going on a clean eating diet this has made this task somewhat more difficult. Below is my adapted recipe for my husbands favorite Ginger Cookies. It's egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and non-artificial sugar-free. Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour 1 cup coconut blossom sugar ¾ cup coconut oil ¼ cup molasses 1 egg worth of no egg powder 1 teaspoon of apricot jam 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves Coconut blossom Sugar, a sprinkle of ginger and cinnamon to coat Steps : 1) In large bowl, place one cup of flour. 2) Add brown sugar, oil, molasses, no egg mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 3) Mix well and add ...

One of my pet peeves is when I hear “Your chronic illness is caused by your negative emotions” This implies that: 1)     If you can change your emotions you will recover 2)     It was a single event that caused the illness 3)     That chronic illness is not an illness but a state of mind I agree that stress, trauma, and negative emotions can make symptoms of chronic illness worse, but this is not the root cause. Often there is no one root cause but a build of multiple factors. Think of your health as a tower of stacking blocks i.e. Jenga.  The bricks act as stressors / vulnerability factors. And the table it stands on and its environment as external factors. When no blocks are removed, your tower is stable. Its internal structure provides the support it needs. If there is a slight breeze, your tower will not collapse. As the blocks get removed your towers internal structure gets more and more unstable. If too many bl...