I’m so happy you dropped by today, I appreciate you and love your comments each week.
Melinda
Category: Celebrate Life
November Writing Prompts
I’m so excited to see that Sherly at A Chronic Voice is feeling better and hosting the November Writing Prompts this month.
What the 2022 November Writing Prompts are About & How to Participate
The linkups are a monthly get together for anyone with a chronic illness, mental disorder or disability. An opportunity to share, to listen, and to learn from one another through shared writing prompts. I also think it’s a great way to provide insight into life with chronic pain, from many different points of view.
All you have to do is write using at least three of the writing prompts listed below, and publish it on your blog, or to a free writing platform like Medium. Then click on the blue ‘Add Link’ button to add your blog post to this page. Voilà, you’re now part of the linkup party!
Here are the November Prompts
Finishing
Fatiguing
Easing
Comforting
Wishing
I’m choosing three this month, Easing, Fatiguing, and Comforting.
Easing
I bought a bicycle to cruise around the neighborhood and the park nearby. Bike riding was one of my favorite hobbies growing up and in my early 30s. My balance is wacky so I don’t know how this will work. My goal is to ride to the park with my camera to enjoy the ducks and squirrels. This is my motivation to get some exercise on the days I’m able.
Fatiguing
I have been experiencing Fibromyalgia flares back to back for close to two months and fatigue has ruled my world. I have spent anywhere between a half to a full day in bed almost every day. When I’m not in bed, it’s such a treat. The pain in my hips has left me unable to put pressure on my hip which means I limp a lot. This has been a Tsunami flare, in all the years I’ve had Fibromyalgia, I have never encountered one like this.
Comforting
I only go out of the house for doctor’s appointments, which leaves me bored on days I feel good. I’ve started adding to my collection of houseplants. I went from seven plants to over 30! This has been a lifesaver, I get to watch the growth and enjoy it when a baby shows up. I’ve tried my hand at succulents for the first time to mixed results and bought a Rubber Tree. They only need attention once a week and so far that has not been an issue for me. Now I have my own garden in the house during winter instead of dead plants.
Melinda
Blogger Highlight-Bridgette Tales
Thank you for all the great feedback on the Blogger Highlight series, I’ve enjoyed meeting each blogger and sharing their site with you. This week we highlight a new blogger, Bridgette Tales.
Bridgette Tales
Everybody has a story. Here’s a little of mine.
I started this blog in 2013 with the words: “Once upon a time there was a mother who wanted to do something other than dishes and laundry.”
This version of myself feels sort of familiar.
It ended with the words: “She took a deep breath and just went for it.”
This I recognize.
I’ve spent the last nearly decade breathing in and plunging forward.
I’ve been as transparent as I can, exploring motherhood, depression, and body image. There are things I withhold to protect my friends and family, and I’m attempting to explore new territory with my fiction writing. The blog, like me, is a work in progress.
Be sure to check out Bridgette Tales.
Melinda
Today in History November 13, 2022
So glad you are enjoying the Today in History on Sundays, thanks for all the feedback.
2020
Kim Ng named first female MLB general manager
On November 13, 2020, veteran front-office official Kim Ng breaks several glass ceilings simultaneously when she is named General Manager of the Miami Marlins. Ng is the first woman and first person of East Asian descent to lead a Major League Baseball front office, as well as …read more
1985
The eruption of Nevado del Ruiz
Nevado del Ruiz, the highest active volcano in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, suffers a mild eruption that generates a series of lava flows and surges over the volcano’s broad ice-covered summit. Flowing mixtures of water, ice, pumice and other rock debris poured off the summit …read more
1974
Karen Silkwood dies in mysterious one-car crash
On November 13, 1974, 28-year-old Karen Silkwood is killed in a car accident near Crescent, Oklahoma, north of Oklahoma City. Silkwood worked as a technician at a plutonium plant operated by the Kerr-McGee Corporation, and she had been critical of the plant’s health and safety …read more
1953
Indiana Textbook Commission member charges that Robin Hood is communist
In an example of the lengths to which the “Red Scare” in America is going, Mrs. Thomas J. White of the Indiana Textbook Commission calls for the removal of references to the book Robin Hood from textbooks used by the state’s schools. Mrs. White …read more
1979
Darryl Dawkins breaks his first backboard
On November 13, 1979, in the middle of a game at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaps over Kansas City Kings forward Bill Robinzine and slam-dunks the basketball, shattering the fiberglass backboard. The result, according to …read more
Have an awesome day!
Melinda
Thinking
Fun Facts
Hi, thanks for stopping by today. I love hearing your comments each week. We learn some interesting things, don’t we?
Birds don’t urinate
Chickens are the closest living relatives to the T-Rex
Adult Mayflies have no functional mouth
M&M’s turned down product placement in ET
There is a type of mouse that howls to defend its territory
Enjoy!
Melinda
Reference:
https://www.thefactsite.com/top-100-random-funny-facts/2/
#Weekend Music Share-Prince & The Revolution – Raspberry Beret (Official Music Video)
I’m so glad you dropped by today, thank you. I hope you have a great weekend.
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
Melinda
Friday Quote 11/11/2022
Hey! So glad you stopped by today, I look forward to your comments each week.
Melinda
Remembering Veterans Day
I can’t thank military members and their families enough for the daily sacrifices they make large and small. The military has not only kept America safe and strong, but they’ve also taken those skills to the workplace and beyond.
My gramps joined the Army in 1939 and was a proud military man but most would not know because he didn’t talk about it. He was stationed at the Panama Canal right after the war broke out to ensure our shipping channels were protected and shipped out to Germany when fighting escalated. I have every metal, his funeral flag, and all types of photos, even a few holiday menus. I’m so proud of my gramps for his commitment and bravery. Those trenches must have been hell.
He would talk to me at length about the actual work that he did but not the battlefield and I’m fine with that, it must be traumatic for any soldier.
Toby Kieth sings one of my favorite patriotic songs of our time, American Soldier. This video may give you tears, if you’re a Veteran of any age you will want to see what a great job he does of sending our message.
God Bless America
Melinda
Book Review for Me, Myself and Ana by Abi Appleby
I want to send a special thank you to the Managing Editor of Trigger Publishing, Soraya Nair for sending Me, Myself and Ana by Abi Appleby to review. This is a story that will pull at your heart and will help people see there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who need help.
Blurb
Who’s your best friend? What happens when they’re not a real person, but a voice in your head?
Abi Appleby’s eating disorder manifested as Ana, a voice that told her to eat less and exercise more until she disappeared. Abi trusted and listened to her for long enough that her loved ones noticed her changing body and behaviours. They helped her into treatment, but even there, she could still hear Ana’s voice.
Me, Myself & Ana tells the story of Abi’s descent into anorexia nervosa, but it also shows how she finally quieted Ana – and realized that she wasn’t her best friend, but an enemy that she could defeat.
My Thoughts
Eating Disorders are complex to treat, and require a very specialized treatment plan and oversight. “Statistically anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders (Arcelus, 2011). Help from professionals reduces the likelihood of dying from anorexia significantly.” (Except from book)
Abi’s eating disorder is so severe it manifested into a voice/friend in her head named Ana who doesn’t want Abi to get better. Ana was taking over her life by giving her restrictions on what to eat, and how much, and forcing her to exercise way beyond her capability. She is starving and praising Abi for how good she looks.
Abi is doing her part by going into treatment after she reached a dangerous state of health and her family noticed how sick she was. She works very hard in treatment but she is still controlled by Ana and getting ridiculed daily for seeking treatment.
Now her struggle is shutting out these voices during treatment that are sabotaging her and learning how to live without an eating disorder. At one point Abi was skin and bones and her goal was to disappear. As you can imagine, Ana spoke even louder and more destructively and Abi follow her right into the middle of the eye of the storm.
“Ana” wasn’t so much a friend as a deadly mental illness disguised as a friendly voice inside my head: anorexia nervosa.” Several of her journal entries are quite scary. I am so proud of her for getting help and now she helps others.
Excerpt From
Me, Myself and Ana
We all have an inner voice but it’s very different for people with a mental illness who are very sick to see clearly.
This would also be great to have around the house for tweens/teens, boys, and girls, so they can get exposure to eating disorders, you have to start young with what is normal and what is not. There is so much peer pressure on teens these days with Social Media showing so many images that are photoshopped or they hear about a starving model hear makes over a million a year.
This is a big thumbs up in my book!
Trigger Publishing
TriggerHub.org is the first mental health organization of its kind. We are bringing mental health recovery and balance to millions of people worldwide through the power of our books.
We have built a first-class resource of curated books produced and published in-house to create a unique collection of mental health recovery titles unrivaled in quality and selection. We work with experts, psychologists, doctors, and coaches to produce our books, but we also work with real people looking to share their stories to reach out to others and provide hope, understanding, and compassion. These brave authors also aim to raise awareness of mental health’s “human” face and its impact on everyday lives.
Melinda
Wordless Wednesday *Flaming Red
I’m so happy you dropped by today, I appreciate you and love your comments each week.
Melinda
Books To Buy For The Holidays, They Are Great Gifts
November has arrived and that means it is time to think about holiday gifts. Books are a special gift and you can personalize it by writing an inscription on the first blank page of the book. I have kept books that are not necessarily ones I’ll read again but kept them because they have inscriptions that bring back memories.
I’ve combined several lists to give you more choices.
Links To Top Books published in 2021/2022
There are some great list in these links, the AARP is great because it cast a wider net than Bestsellers.
Melinda
Food for Thought
Have a great day.
Melinda
I Heard Your Feedback And Made Some Changes To My Blog
Thanks to all the people who took the time to comment, I truly appreciate it.
I’ve made some small changes to my blog.
The Organizations That Can Help page now has a drop-down menu, you no longer have to scroll thru the entire page to find your topic.
A minor change is the Follow Me on Twitter widget is now closer to the top so you can find me.
Minor adjustments on color.
My goal is to make the blog easy to maneuver, able to find what you’re looking for, and of course, pleasant to look at with great posts.
If you have more ideas, please take a minute a drop me your thoughts in the comments section.
Have a great day.
Melinda
Blogger Highlight-Shangri-La
Thank you for all the great feedback on the Blogger Highlight series, I’ve enjoyed meeting each blogger and sharing their site with you. This week I highlight a new blogger, Shangri-La.
Never Grow Old
I love to write about the simple things in every day life with humor and positivity. My late Irish born mother Mary, is my favorite subject. I have written several stories about her on my blog and hope to comprise them all into a book in her memory. I also work in a Psychiatric hospital and cherish all the wonderful patients that enrich my life with their beauty, intelligence wit and courage, each and every day.
Please check out her site, she writes from the heart.
Melinda
Today in History November 6, 2022
Hi! So glad you are enjoying the Today in History each Sunday.
1869
Rutgers beats Princeton in first college football game
On November 6, 1869, Rutgers beats Princeton, 6-4, in the first college football game. The game, played with a soccer ball before roughly 100 fans in New Brunswick, New Jersey, resembles rugby instead of today’s football. Even off the playing fields, the rivalry between the New …read more
1917
Bolsheviks revolt in Russia
Led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin, leftist revolutionaries launch a nearly bloodless coup d’État against Russia’s ineffectual Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in the Russian capital of …read more
1528
Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca lands in Texas
The Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is shipwrecked on a low sandy island off the coast of Texas. Starving, dehydrated, and desperate, he is the first European to set foot on the soil of the future Lone Star state. Cabeza de Vaca’s unintentional journey to Texas …read more
1963
General Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam
In the aftermath of the November 1 coup that resulted in the murder of President Ngo Dinh Diem, Gen. Duong Van Minh, leading the Revolutionary Military Committee of the dissident generals who had conducted the coup, takes over leadership of South Vietnam. U.S. Ambassador Henry …read more
1906
Teddy Roosevelt travels to Panama
On November 6, 1906, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt embarks on a 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico, becoming the first president to make an official diplomatic tour outside of the continental United States. Roosevelt entered office in 1901 with the firm intention of …read more
Have an awesome day!
Melinda
Fun Facts
Hi, thanks for stopping by today. I love hearing your comments each week. We learn some interesting things, don’t we?
Famous French painter Claude Monet was only rich because he won the lottery.
Before alarm clocks were affordable, professional “Knocker Uppers” woke people up for work.
A random toilet break saved former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s life.
The coloring of Gizmo’s fur from The Gremlins matches Steven Spielberg’s dog.
Japanese people use more paper for manga than toilet roll.
Enjoy!
Melinda
Reference:
https://www.thefactsite.com/top-100-random-funny-facts/2/
November Awareness Days
Here is a list of the many days observed during the month of November. You’ll find other awareness day sites whose lists are way too long. Here’s a condensed version.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
COPD Awareness Month
National Career Development Month
National Diabetes Month
National Family Caregivers Month
Mouth Cancer Action Month
Men’s Health Awareness Month
Melinda
#Weekend Music Share-Coldplay & Ed Sheeran – Fix You (Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire)
I’m so glad you dropped by today, thank you. I hope you have a great weekend.
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
Melinda
Friday Quote 11/4/2022
Hey! So glad you stopped by today, I look forward to your comments each week.
Melinda
Wordless Wednesday *Sparky
Hey you, I’m so happy you dropped by today, I appreciate you and love your comments each week.
New light in my office
Melinda
Interview with Dawn Symons by Cheryl Clarke-Dawn’s Journey with CFS/ME
Hi everyone,
Cheryl Clarke contacted me and asked if I would post Dawn’s Symons experience with ME/CFS. Without question, I knew many of my readers are interested in this topic. Enjoy.
Dawn’s experience with ME / CFS and her recovery story
When did you first get diagnosed?
I wasn’t diagnosed with ME until 2012, but I’ve had ME since I was in my 20’s so I’ve had it for about 34 years.
And what was it like when you first got your diagnosis? How did that feel?
Relief. I already knew there was something going on, and I was just glad that I finally had a diagnosis because a lot of people call people who have Chronic Fatigue or ME hypochondriacs. They call them lazy. I never met anybody who has experienced ME who is either of those things.
They usually have class-A personality types; they are driven and don’t take time off when they are poorly. Instead, they keep going and going, which chips away at the body and reduces the immunity, and they get an infection from which they don’t recover.
Can you tell us your experience of ME?
I couldn’t walk more than about 30 steps for about 18 months. I was so insular and isolated I couldn’t physically have a conversation because I didn’t have enough energy. And my mental capacity was greatly reduced because I had such severe brain fog.
It was difficult to think about what I wanted to say, and if somebody asked me a question, it was difficult to reply because, by the time I started thinking about the response, I had forgotten the question. So on top of everything, I felt stupid.
I managed to work literally for a couple of hours a week. I lost everything, including my home. And then obviously you get depressed with it, going through that experience.
So I was very low. Not so much anxious, although towards the end of it, I was getting very anxious because I’d lost all of my savings, and I could see that I was going to end up homeless, which I did.
Then you’ve got a mental battle going on as well. Why can’t I recover, why can’t somebody help me, why aren’t the doctors helping, and why are there no pills for this?
And how would you explain it to someone who has no idea what ME /CFS is?
If I was to sum up ME / CFS in one hit, it would be like an old phone that you charge up, but it only holds the charge for two hours, and you’ve got to leave it on charge all the time, and that’s what having ME is like, you can’t recharge your battery. You don’t know what’s going to drain it. There is sometimes very little that you can physically do, and you’re just drained.
The more you try and do, the more frustrated you get, and then you get even more drained. The thing that drains energy the most is depression and anxiety. It puts a huge amount of stress on the body and mind.
This is why I think the bottom line is to get the mental state in a more accepting state and then start adding little bits and pieces of other activities which might help from the healing wheel in the First Aid For Stress program and trialing what works.
So do you recommend different levels of activity depending on the severity of your CFS?
It’s a case of trial and error. Trying and then seeing what the effects are. Recovery is not going to come about quickly. It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now. And at this moment, I am still battling. I’m battling with menopause as well as Chronic Fatigue. Every single case is different because each person may also have multiple health issues to contend with, not just Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Did/ do you take medication for CFS / ME?
There is no pill for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There are lots of medications suggested, but they come with a lot of side effects, and I am very sensitive to medication, so I didn’t want to take them. I’ve also come to realize that there can’t be one pill for everyone because it’s so multifaceted. There are so many things that are having an effect on the body and the mind that has resulted in the symptoms.
This is the reason calming the mind down is so important. Particularly if you are pressuring yourself. There are so many worries that come with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, such as “I’ve got to get better because I’m going to lose my job”, “I’ve got to get better because I have to look after my children”, “I’ve got to get better because I’m going to lose my home”. And that level of pressure is too much.
What did you realize in your recovery journey that is in the First Aid For Stress Program?
Unless you deal with the worry and fear and come to accept the fact that you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you will not be able to recover. It’s like having ten spoons in the morning, and each spoon is for doing something, and that doing something could be as much as rolling over, and that takes two spoons worth of energy. Then you need the toilet, and that takes three spoons. Suddenly you’re down to five. Cooking a meal for yourself, game over.
And you live in that awful state for a very long time. And the worst thing for your energy levels is your mind chattering, your mental state. It’s so important to learn to be kinder to yourself. To do some meditation, one of the core parts of my work is the meditations that I’ve recorded which are freely available to everyone. Listening to that recording repeatedly begins to rewire the brain.
BIO: Dawn Symons from First Aid For Stress and Maga Therapy. Dawn has lectured and written widely, specialising in tension & stress reduction irrespective of the cause, applying the latest scientific thinking to provide logical, effective & progressive results. She facilitates the First Aid For Stress Program for people suffering from ME / CFS / Anxiety / Depression and Chronic Illness.
Blogger Highlight-Chronic Reflections
Thank you for all the great feedback on the Blogger Highlight series, I’ve enjoyed meeting each blogger and sharing their site with you. This week we highlight a new blogger, Chronic Reflections.
Chronic Reflections
Reflections on life with chronic illness.
Chronically ill and mostly housebound with CFS/ME. Mom to an adult daughter. Recovering perfectionist. Interested in history, current affairs, social justice, sustainable living, and the Arts. Hobbies include writing, reading, word puzzles, listening to music, watching good TV and classic movies, playing casual computer games, and sleeping.
Stop by and give her a shout-out!
Melinda
It’ll never be today, again — Guest Blogger psychologistmimi
I watch a lot of streaming television shows as well as movies. Hence, in general, I avoid advertisements. Yesterday, I happen to be watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer again. The television series; not the movie. The only way to watch it is on Hulu streaming service where I am exposed to commercials. Sigh. And, they […]
It’ll never be today, again — psychologistmimi
Today in History October 30, 2022
Hi! So glad you are enjoying the Today in History each Sunday.
1938
Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” radio play is broadcast
“The War of the Worlds”—Orson Welles’s realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth—is broadcast on the radio on October 30, 1938. Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells’s 19th-century science fiction novel The War of the Worlds for national radio. Despite his age, Welles had been in radio for several years, most notably as the voice of “The Shadow” in the hit mystery program of the same name. “War of the Worlds” was not planned as a radio hoax, and Welles had little idea of how legendary it would eventually become.
2003
LeBron James debuts in the NBA
On October 30, 2003, 18-year-old basketball prodigy LeBron James scores 25 points, grabs six rebounds and dishes out nine assists, but his Cleveland Cavaliers lose to the more experienced Sacramento Kings, 106-92. His debut is one of the most impressive in league history—only …read more
1811
“Sense and Sensibility” is published
On October 30, 1811, Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is published anonymously. A small circle of people, including the Prince Regent, learned Austen’s identity, but most of the British public knew only that the popular book had been written “by a …read more
1864
The city of Helena, Montana, is founded after miners discover gold
On October 30, 1864, the town of Helena, Montana, is founded by four gold miners who struck it rich at the appropriately named “Last Chance Gulch.” The first major Anglo settlement of Montana had begun just two years before in the summer of 1862, when prospectors found a sizeable …read more
1991
“Perfect storm” hits North Atlantic
On October 30, 1991, the so-called “perfect storm” hits the North Atlantic producing remarkably large waves along the New England and Canadian coasts. Over the next several days, the storm spread its fury over the ocean off the coast of Canada. The fishing boat Andrea Gail and its six-member crew were lost in the storm. The disaster spawned the best-selling book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger and a blockbuster Hollywood movie of the same name.
Have an awesome day!
Melinda
Fun Facts
Hi, thanks for stopping by today. I love hearing your comments each week. We learn some interesting things, don’t we?
The inventor of the first professional Frisbee had his ashes made into Frisbees after he passed away.
By 400BC, Persian engineers mastered the technique of storing ice in the middle of desert summers.
Kit Harrington is related to the man who invented the flush toilet and one of the Gunpowder Plot perpetrators.
The word “burrito” means “little donkey” in Spanish.
Eagles can hunt down a young deer and fly away with it.
Enjoy!
Melinda
Reference:
https://www.thefactsite.com/top-100-random-funny-facts/2/
31 Unpredictable Behaviors of Grief —Guest Blogger Runawaywidow
Grief behaviors after the loss of a loved one can be extreme. Unexpected behaviors during grief are to be expected
31 Unpredictable Behaviors of Grief — Runawaywidow
#Weekend Music A-Ha – Take On Me (Official Video)
I’m so glad you dropped by today, thank you. I hope you have a great weekend.
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag
WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
Melinda
Quote of the Day — Guest Blogger Don’t Lose Hope
“Offer yourself patience where memories still bleed.” I, also, wish you didn’t still bleed. I know it is hard. It takes time.
Quote of the Day — Don’t Lose Hope
Friday Quote 10/28/2022
Hey! So glad you stopped by today, I look forward to your comments each week.
Melinda
lookingforthelight.blog 
