Enter the “How Grace-ful are you?” Contest

Grace-ful- knowledgeable about Grace Fullnot or msgracefulnot.com

On Saturday evening, I mentioned that there would be a contest today. In case you did not see the previous post, let me explain the terms here.

1. Please do not post any answers to the questions until Sunday, September 6th between 9 and 3pm central time so that more people have a chance to enter.
2. When answering a question, please include information as to where you found the answer (post name, guess, etc) *If you have the time, this part is not necessary to win.

Here are the questions:

1. How old am I?
2. Why did I select msgracefulnot as the name of my blog?
3. How long have I had MS?
4. What is the “address” of my advice to those diagnosed video?
5. What is the name of the disease modifying drug I am on for Mulitple Sclerosis?
6. How do I refer to my daughters in my blog? Can you tell me why?
7. Which of those sweet little demons did I leave at the store?
8. Name at least 3 places I have traveled to via plane in the last 2 years.
9. How many times have I been in a boot for a broken foot? (this is a trick question, even I don’t know the answer)
10. What is the most annoying symptom of MS that I deal with? Please list at least 2 treatments I have tried.
11. Do you remember my German Shepherds name?
12. One of my happiest memories from 2018?
13. What do I call my significant other?
14. What are my grandsons names?
15. Do you remember how we met or how you found msgracefulnot.com?
16. What is your favorite post that I have written?
17. What 2 three letter words, or acronyms, internet slang do I use the most? Can you tell me what they mean?
18. Bonus points if you share this post on social media, and share the location you posted to!!!!!!
19. This is a “freebie”… If you are a blogger, can you create a post with links to past posts you that you have written that you feel would give a new reader a good sense of what your blog is about? If you do I will share the hell out of it….FREE ADVERTISING HERE!!!!
20. If you are the winner, which rose would you like? With or without stem?

The winner will receive their choice one of the above pictured roses that I printed with my 3d printer mailed directly to their home or office. (more about 3d printing to come)

Thank you in advance for stopping by!

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Grace Being Tom…Being Tom

On Christmas last year a fellow blogger, Tom from Tom being Tom, recognized me as a blogger that other bloggers might approve of.  As he frequently does, Tom used his creativity and humor to shake things up a bit, and named his recommendations as Reindeer in the theme of the holiday.

I was granted the name Prancer.  I’m not sure how Tom assigned the Reindeer names, (Einstein and I were talking about it, and if anything I should be Blitzen with the thought of BLITZKREIG), but I will trust Tom’s decision on this because he always says the nicest things about me.

As part of the recognition,  I’m supposed to tell a story about how I began blogging.  If you are interested in reading it I have previously shared my story here in my first blog post.

When receiving recognition, one is supposed to share any advice for new bloggers.  As far as advice……Like most things in life I am a better example of what NOT to do than what to do so it’s up to you if you want to follow. 😉

The first time I was nominated for the the Blogger Recognition Award, I sent the person who nominated me a short message saying, “Thank you for the acknowledgment, but I’m not comfortable with awards, thank you for thinking of me.”

Not long after that, I received another nomination which I also declined.  Again, I sent a quick message thanking  the nominor?  (What do you call a person who nominated you for something?  Google did not have an answer for me.)

When I was nominated the third time, I had found so many amazing bloggers that I ‘kind-of’ accepted the award, just to promote the bloggers that I loved.  (Ok I made my OWN, not your typical blogger award just to be different.)

Included in my award were,  DGGYST, The Incurable Dreamer, Superman, And Bojana.

Damn Girl get your shit together took a break for a bit, but has recently come back and is worth more than a peek. I still caution everyone not to drink anything while reading her blog, since numerous times I have spat or choked on my coffee from laughing so much  while reading.  Yes she is that good!

The Incurable Dreamer is no longer part of the blogosphere, but will be fondly remembered!

The third blogger I named is Superman, who while not TECHNICALLY a superhero, is still a pretty terrific guy.  In his latest blog post, The Lessons of Time,  he summarizes some of the challenges he has faced during the last 10 years. I believe the ‘average’ person may have given up when facing some of his challenges, or at the very least become very cynical.  Not only does Superman continue to face his challenges head on, but he does it while continuing to help others.

The final blogger I named is Bojana, from Coffee and Confessions to go.  I have included this link to her blog, although it may not work since her blog is no longer public.

Several months after I ‘created’ the Not your typical blogger award, I revisited  it and recognized additional bloggers that had captured my attention.  First on my list was Tom.  I posted several links that I enjoyed from his blog. (I had to limit the number that I shared, because at that point, I had gone back to read every post he had ever written) Unfortunately, those links along with many others were eaten by the internet.

The next blogger I recognized is Lisa from All About Life.  I am happy to see that Lisa’s blog writings are still viewable, but she seems to have taken a break from adding to them, as she was busy writing and publishing a book, From his Perspective, during the last year.

The final blogger I recognized is “Lockwood” from the Lockwood Echo.  She seems to have taken an intermission from blogging, to start an online shop for her photography.  Her blog and the archives are still available though.

I myself have not been present  in the blogosphere too often over the last year, mostly because I have spent an overabundance of time at Doctor’s offices or in hospitals not only for myself but for others I care about.  While admittedly, those locations are better than Jails or cemetaries, last year was very overwhelming for me.  The Loss of My Best Friend was my undoing.

If you have poked around my pages at all, you have probably noticed that at times I am very long winded and I take a round a bout way of getting to the point.  Let me get to that point now.

I would like to Thank Tom, from Tom Being Tom for the recognition, it truly means a lot.  Advice I would give to new bloggers is simply to “Just be you”.  While putting your words out there, reach out and get to know other bloggers. The rewards I have received from finding “my tribe” are so much more than anything I have contributed.  Best of luck to you!

I will end by directing you to another blogger that I consider part of my Tribe, Kim, the writer of I tripped over a stone.  Kim, her husband, and their fur babies have recently begun their adventure of RV Living.  I just realized today is Sunday.  On Sundays, Kim posts What about you? , quick questions that she asks to get to know a little about you.  If you have a moment, THIS is a great place to start.

Thank you for stopping by.  Best of luck on your blogging journey!!!!

 

 

Healthy resources for chronic illnesses

Last week I shared, my list of Not your Typical Blogger Awards recommendations.  I mentioned in the post that I also had recommendations for chronic illness bloggers that were inspirational and motivating that I would share if requested.

As I continued to reread posts from February of last year, I realized that I had completely forgotten that not only did I actually write a little about MS in February, but I also made a video about being newly diagnosed> I was also fortunate enough to have some of those very same inspirational and motivational bloggers do guest posts on my blog.  Their names and links to their blogs can be found here.

I would like to add a few of the chronic illness bloggers that I have also begun following since that post was written that I also find very motivating and helpful.

First is Terri, from Reclaiming Hope.   Terri lives with Fibromyalgia, and offers great tips on total wellness, sharing advice on complete wellness encompassing emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, intellectual, financial, and physical aspects.  Whether or not, you suffer from a chronic illiness, I think you may find a lot to gain by visiting her site.

Next up is Heather and Dizzy from Dinosaurs, Donkeys, and MS.  Heather was diagnosed with MS a only a couple of years ago, but you would think she had been living with MS for a long time, based on the amount of information she shares.  Heather shares information about the OMS program, many exercising techniques, and relaxation techniques through her stories with her Donkey Dizzy.  She has also begun a podcast featuring two herself and two other MS bloggers from the UK.  If you have a minute, potter over  to her page, again you will not be disappointed!

Also from the UK is Caz, the author of Invisibly Me.  For a quick glimpse at her personality, check out her post, This and That.  As with most invisible illnesses, you wouldn’t know that anything is “wrong” with Caz, by looking at her, but she takes this one step further by sharing tips on how she continues to fight and rise above the trials she faces.  I especially like her post, What my invisible illness(es) have taught me. If you have another moment, (while you are in the UK :P) take a few steps over to her page.  About once a month she will share frugal finds for things she has found that help beat the heat and work on relaxation.

While I’m taking you around the world (well yah the internet is) I’d like to take a moment to visit Vancouver and talk about Amanda from Walk a Myelin* My shoes.  Not only does Amanda talk about the realities of living with Chronic Illness on her blog, but she is in the process of writing a book, and often talks about the other side ( caregivers and support people for those of us living with an invisible or chronic illness). To keep in line with the subject I wrote about earlier with being newly diagnosed, I would like to share this post written by Amanda as a place to start.

It is so easy to fall in with “the bad crowd” of people living with chronic illness.  By “bad crowd”, I don’t mean bad people, I mean people that spend more time succumbing to  their diagnosis and limitations than they do focusing on the positives in their life or are resigned to let the disease consume them.  (I think we may all go there from time to time.) Personally, I find it so much more helpful to spend time with people that while maybe struggling, continue to fight each day.

I hope you can take some time to visit the above mentioned websites, and that you find them as helpful as I do!

I have showed you mine, will you show me yours?

Do you have any websites or bloggers that you follow that share tips for dealing with chronic illness?  I would love to hear your thoughts

Maybe you can share some recommendations that you have?

 

Not your typical Blogger Award revisited

Revisited? re awarded? Whatever the case, last year I wrote a post, Not your typical blogger award, in which I decided to share some of my favorite blogs with you. I would like to do that again now.

The blogs that I have chosen to list are the ones that make me laugh, or even just really think the most.  I have purposefully NOT included the blogs I follow about MS, or other chronic illnesses, because AGAIN, today is just NOT an MS day for me.  If you are interested in hearing a list of chronic illness bloggers, let me know.  (I have some great motivating and inspirational recommendations.)

The first blogger I would like to recommend is, Tom from Tom Being Tom.  Of course I have to direct you to a fabulous post that Tom wrote about me, Graced (I can’t resist the free publicity.)  Seriously though, let me talk about Tom for a minute.  Tom is the 2nd blogger, I have read every post they have written.  (The first was superman, who I previously nominated for this award.)  There was no challenge to read Tom’s words, it was a pleasure.  Sometimes serious, sometimes light hearted.  Sometimes, (ok frequently) Tom writes about sports and politics, but imo he makes up for that when he shares his love of his wife and his fur babies, Ludo and Moxie.  If you have some time, do yourself a favor and give him a read.  (If you haven’t clicked on one of the links to his posts above, start here.)  This is my favorite.

Up next is Lisa, the writer behind All About Life.  Although Lisa is a relatively  “new kid on the block”,  you wouldn’t know it by the number of followers she has racked up in the few short months that she has been blogging.  There is not just one word to describe Lisa, but here  is one….  CANDID.  Refreshingly Candid.  I don’t remember how I first discovered her blog, but I am certainly glad I did.  In fact, I think she is the next blogger I will be going back to the beginning to read (once I finish rereading the posts I have made) If you are looking for a place to start (not the beginning but an insight into her personality, may I suggest. Refusing to Grow up.

My final recommendation is the blog Lockwood Echo.  While I don’t actually know her real name, Lockwood works for me.  I can’t think of a better way to recommend her than to share what she says about herself on her The Editor page….

The Lockwood Echo was born from a collection of random musings and a wish to collate what I thought may be of interest or side-splittingly funny.

Using humour to deflect rage or feelings of misjustice and trying to make people think I’m wickedly witty has been a game-plan of mine for many a year. It’s self-preservation when life hits melting point. It’s also not healthy to bottle up so much sarcasm. It’s best I let it out.

She does this quite well!  While reading her posts, I promise you will feel….”omg that has happened to me” or maybe be glad that it didn’t. (though you might not admit it as she does.)  If you need a place to start, check out,  then there was that time series.

I’m going to end this post now, as I have much more reading to do.  Please take a minute and look at the blogs that I have listed.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

 

So….. not what I was expecting…..

A parade?  For me?  How Exciting!!!!

But not even a little bit true.

Let’s start at the beginning…..

😦 no the beginning would take to long

where to start?   where to start?

Ah, just go with the flow…. let’s start with the picture I have posted.  Apparently, it is homecoming weekend for our school district.  I had no idea. As I watched the band, and trucks pulling floats assemble outside my house yesterday, my mind traveled to a different time. In some ways this makes me feel incredibly old, because I have been there and done that.  I participated in Homecoming events, not only when I was in High School myself, but also as each of my daughter’s were.  Wow that feels like I lifetime or two ago!

At the same time, I’m not done with Homecoming.  In as short as 15 years or so, I will have Grandchildren that might be participating in Homecoming.  I will be telling the story…..” when I was your age we had to walk 10 miles through the snow, Uphill to get to school…etc.”  ( Ok that’s MY grandma’s story, but you get the point)

I wonder how different the world will be even in just the few years.

Yesterday, while sitting in the waiting room for my 3 week post op visit, (more about that soon) my mind started to drift to a post that I read earlier this week, by Bojana at Blogging with Bojana.  In her post she talks about spending time with her young son at the playground.  She writes…

Another good thing I’ve noticed spending plenty of time in the sandpit with toddles is the presence and acceptance of all the colors of the rainbow, that is an utter and complete absence of racism and xenophobia in their world. While there’s possessiveness and envy of another kid’s bigger and shinier toy, there’s no discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, religion, appearance or disability. The society has yet to teach them hatred and prejudice, giving rise to inequality and aggression.

As I thought more about her post, which you can read in its entirety here. I thought that I had the condition for the beginnings of Utopia right in front of me.  I may be misusing the word, but here is the definition I am trying to describe…

u·to·pi·a

yo͞oˈtōpēə/

noun

noun: Utopia; plural noun: Utopias; noun: utopia; plural noun: utopias

1. an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More.

Even though we are all sitting in a Doctor’s office, and there is still pain and suffering, as individuals, no one was adding to someone else’s discomfort.  Young, old, black, white, blonde, brunette, bald, overweight, underweight….we were all there coexisting.  Peacefully.

That is the kind of world I hope to see my grandchildren raised in.

In the beginning of the post, I said I didn’t know where to start, so I just started typing/rambling.  I actually intended to tell you about my post op visit, but as I “reviewed” yesterdays events in my mind, my foot became very insignificant. I am not going to say anymore about Homecoming, memories, hope for the future etc or even my foot notes…..  I made a funny ( at least in this post)

Instead I want to ask you for your feedback.  Don’t you think the world would be a better place if instead of drawing lines that separate us from one another, we focused more on the common goal of helping everyone “make it”?