I’m all emptied out and in need of a break

Also, our lives are worthy — and we have a lot to give to the world, whether we are productive or not.

Hi friend!

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Phew, I must admit this autumn and now winter has hit me hard. I’m better than I was last year at this time due to additional medication and supplements, but still… I need a break as I usually do this time of year.

This season on The Bed Perspective has been amazing. While I’ve promised myself not to care about number of subscribers (this is hard) I am happy that it has more than doubled this season.

One of my most popular essays this season is ‘Embracing crip time: Redefining pace productivity and patience’. I loved writing it, because it reminded me that our lives are worthy — and that we have a lot to give to the world, whether we are productive or not.

I remember watching the Paris Paralympics and listening to some of the athletes explain how they show the world (or rather the media shows) that they can do these amazing things despite their limitations, and people think they’re invincible and can do anything, but what people don’t see are all the ways they are hindered by a society that isn’t suited for them — like getting on and off the train. One mentioned how they were conflicted about the wonderful celebration of different bodies vs the romanticised portrayal of disability without showing the difficulties and systemic barriers.

I think about that a lot — how we can celebrate all our different bodies and minds and all that we can do and can’t do with them, while portraying the systemic barriers we face — and without the focus on overcoming disability and being productive?

I am THIS close to having all my music ready for the mixing engineer. Nearly there. Phew. I hope to be ready before Christmas when my brother comes to visit so he can get all the files.

I don’t know how long my break is for, but I will most likely be back sometime in January. I will probably still be on Notes here and there, so come over and say hi.

Also — and this one pains me deeply — I’m not able right now to continue the brand new series I had started and was super excited about called Crip Creative Corner. I had all these ideas and I had brainstormed and everything, but when it comes to actually creating the content I fall short — I just don’t have the energy or brain bandwidth to execute. Aaargh. I’m so annoyed, but perhaps at a later stage it will be possible, who knows.

Tell me…

How are you doing this season (whether it’s winter or summer where you are)?

How can we portray disabled people as equally worthy members of society — even when we can’t be productive? How can we paint a more complex picture of disability?

What creative projects — big or small — are you working/trying to work on right now?

What have you had to let go of recently?

Did you miss?

The power of self-witnessing in chronic illness

“Don’t let illness define you,” they say. But this could be problematic

Tiny creative acts: How I stay creative in the midst of chronic illness

Meditation: Connecting to the Earth

Are you looking for all the meditations? Click here