Functionally Whole

I’ve always been adamant about speaking out about our experiences, especially the hard ones. Miscarriages. Infertility. Autoimmune disease. Learning to navigate a healthcare system that fails at preventative care. Everyone has heard me talk about these things for years.

But recently, I’ve gotten quiet… and I think it’s time to change that. But I want to explain my silence.

There are some good explanations, like that I’ve been dedicated to researching and learning to manage Lyme disease, and that I’ve been dedicating my focus and energy to taking care of myself. But there are also some not-so-good explanations.

Like that I didn’t trust my own experience enough to speak about it publicly, because most of the information out there on Lyme disease says my experience is “wrong” or that what I’ve been experiencing doesn’t happen.

Or because I was afraid of facing the truth of what I have been experiencing and how it has changed my life, and how it will continue to affect my life in the future.

Or because I am angry that I ended up with this damn disease in the first place.

It’s been about 11 months that I’ve been dealing with this now - almost a year. And only 2 of those months have I actually had a diagnosis. I feel like I am far enough into this now that I have to start to speak about it. I trust my body and I trust myself more than any doctor.

I have felt incredibly isolated and like no one understands what I’ve been going through - but that is because of my silence. I can’t expect anyone to understand if I don’t talk about it.

And I know that if I am feeling this way, that there are so many others out there who feel the same - and that means that it’s time to stand up.

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise, and it’s only going to get worse until we have a better understanding of them. And the only way we can have a better understanding is to actually listen to the patients who live with it every single day.

So I’m going to start sharing my experience, from the beginning to where I am currently. Not the polished Health Coach version, but the real, raw truth.

I hope it will help someone. 💜

(Pic with Jim, who has become my emotional support cat!)

In the first few years of learning to manage my autoimmune disease, the Phoenix Helix podcast was my lifeline. Eileen’s wisdom, grace, and resilience was a beacon of light in an otherwise dark and scary world that I was trying to figure out how to navigate.

A few years ago, she retired the podcast to focus on a childhood dream of hers: to write a novel. I was so sad to lose her voice in the podcasting world, but at the same time excited for her and the book she would produce.

I was lucky enough to be a part of her book launch team, and I absolutely adored Celestial River! If you’re looking for a fun, whimsical book that also has dramatic twists and turns, you should definitely check it out!

Here’s my review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved Celestial River! The way the story unfolded really draws you in to the life of the characters and the little town of Celestial River. A true sense of community and deep friendships are important here, and as those things become threatened the reader is taken on the journey to save them. With lots of twists and turns, this book is a page turner that sometimes had me cheering and other times groaning at the choices of the characters. As I neared the end, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be but I loved it. I definitely recommend reading this debut novel, especially if you’re a lover of the Blue Ridge Mountains - I wish Celestial River was a real place that I could go!

You can get your copy on Amazon!

I had the honor of leading a small group of Girls Who Hike OHIO ladies on their first backpacking trip at Wildcat Hollow Tuesday! Everyone did amazing learning to use their gear and practicing. We also got to enjoy wandering through all the beautiful wildflowers - although peak was early this year and we missed that, and there were still flowers as far as you could see! 🤩

I am so thankful for all the laughs, the camaraderie, the thought-provoking conversation and openness. Something special happens when a group of women go out into the wilderness together, and it is such an honor to be able to create the space for this magic to happen. 💜

Just a few ✨glimmers✨that make me happy …

A cup of herbal tea from .of.life.apothecary to support my thyroid, using a tea infuser from that is soooo cute that it brings me joy!

Winding down in the evenings is something I’ve been working on for better sleep, and having a cup of tea helps - and it’s something I look forward to so I’m more likely to do it. (I just can’t have it too late or I’m up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!) Plus it makes me feel good to support local businesses!

What are some of the glimmers in your life recently?