Who am I?

I am a very quiet introspective woman who is perfectly content listening to and observing others to get a well rounded understanding of a person or situation. But, those who get to know me well know that I am not always so quiet, and I can be quite spontaneous and creative. I'm a thinker, always rumunating on several things during my daily activities. I have little tolerance for drama, dishonesty, manipulation, and unnecessary conversation used just to fill up the silence. Being content with a stretch of silence is an important skill to learn, and it helps you learn to be comfortable with yourself internally. When you can be silent and willing to listen to yourself, you can learn to process the bad stuff, find joy in the good stuff and learn to love yourself, flaws and all. People spend quite a lot of their lives alone with their own thoughts. Be gentle with yourself and treat yourself with the kind of unconditional love and grace that God does. After being diagnosed with an extremely painful and rare degenerative illness with no cure and very little in the way of treatment options, the above description of how I try to live my life has been put to the test in so many ways. It's a difficult road to travel and not at all where I planned my life to go, but I have found that God often has very different plans than we have for ourselves, and with faith and endurance, the blessings and maturity that come from these unexpected paths are well worth the struggles along the way.

What will be on this blog?

Honestly, I have no idea. I have so many interests, covering many different topics, that I do not want to limit myself to a single theme. I am not sure if I will talk about my disease much, as I already have to put so much of my time and energy into managing it.
I do plan on sharing pictures both old and new, sometimes with a story about it and sometimes left up to your own interpretation.

With videos, I will need to teach myself video editing, or I may just share videos as they already are. That depends on my energy levels and how long I can be on the computer. If you have any favorite videos editing programs that are simple to use, free or low cost, please let me know.

What am I interested in?

I enjoy all genres of music if it resonates with me. I have always loved reading and learning new things. One of the saddest things about my illness is the nausea that comes on when reading. I listen now to audiobooks and lectures, but it's just not the same as getting lost in a fictional world or the wonder of learning something new while reading nonfiction and studying various texts. Nature holds a special place in my soul which I enjoy capturing it's beauty in photos, and sometimes video. I could have the worst of days that can be brightened by a walk, a hike, a drive through a landscape, or simply sitting and listening to the sounds of the world around me.

I enjoy fiber arts such as knitting, crochet, spinning yarn on my spinning wheel, embroidery and cross stitching, dyeing yarn and spinning fiber, felting, etc. I sew when I feel up to it, but it's usually too painful to do so anymore.

Aromatherapy and herbalism are a very large part of my life, especially the formulation of various products to support my family and friends with their needs or wants.

We have many animals and enjoy getting to know their personalities and having the privilege of giving them a loving home. They are also a great emotional support and I would suggest that anyone needing comfort during lifes ups and downs should find an animal that is right for you. It's not something that should be done spontaneously as certain animals can be quite costly to care for. Take time to research before getting an animal and it will save money in the long run. If you have an animal that is in your budget range and fits the amount of time you have to spend on care and maintenance of their living space, it will be a much less stressful experience. Many pet stores give incorrect care information that can cause some hefty veterinarian bills if the animal gets sick from improper care. Sometimes animals are simply abandoned or given to a rescue after realizing they need more care than you can provide. Many times the pet owner is heartbroken when having to give up an animal. Consider adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue. I'm not against buying babies if you want to. I've adopted animals, rescued animals and bought babies. It really depends on what works best for you and your future animal, and the type of animal you choose to get. We have a dog, fish, 3 cornsnakes, a tortoise, and a blue tongued skink. We might have baby corsnakes soon as well.

Thanks for reading this far!

Well, this has taken quite a while to write out. I think I started this introduction a half a year
or maybe even a year ago?! I look forward to getting to share some beauty with the world. Being chronically ill has taught me how to slow down and focus on what is important in n life, and to bring as much kindness, beauty and happiness to those who interact with me. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, though. I will defend myself and those I care about if attacked, so be respectful in our conversations. I have no problem having a passionate conversation and we don't have to agree about anything. We can still have a good conversation and agree to disagree in the end. As far as my creations, everyone has different tastes and styles they prefer, and I won't get all upset if you don't like something that I post. You don't have to like me at all even. Just don't be a jerk about it.
Until next time,
Jenn