I have now written quite a few blogs that deal more with my illness, CFS/ME, than with my beading.
The two are inextricably linked. I only discovered beading after I became ill. At first, it was therapy to help me. Then it gradually evolved into a means of earning a living. It still remains a therapy, and it feels like the only option open to me as I can’t work a ‘normal’ job.
But it is also a blessing. Not many people get to earn money from doing something that they love each day. Now, don’t get me wrong…this is not an easy way to earn money. It is a weekly and monthly struggle to bring in what I need. So, you won’t be finding millionaires in the beading world!
It has also led me to ‘meet’ in a virtual sense, a lot of lovely people with whom I share common interests and experiences. So, as I got to know more beaders, I realised how many others are also battling with CFS/ME. That seemed like a good reason for writing more about my experience.
I have used this blog to raise money for an ME clinic. I have also tried to raise awareness about what this illness is and how it feels. That latter aim feels pretty impossible. I frequently feel I don’t have adequate words to convey what ME/CFS really is. And, of course, none of us can truly understand what we haven’t experienced. But hopefully some of this helps in some small way.
Right now I should be preparing for an early night, making sure I have everything ready for my second scheduled Jewellery Maker TV show tomorrow morning. I am preparing for an early night, but it’s not for such a good reason. I’ve been struggling with a bad ME/CFS crash for about a month now. Last…
I’ll be honest here: this blog post doesn’t feature beads all that much! Beads are my work, one of my hobbies and my passion, so it’s pretty hard to write a blog that doesn’t feature them in some capacity, but this blog is much more personal (and pretty long, so you have been warned!). A…
Well, it’s been a while since I posted on here, despite my best efforts, so time to remedy that and time to show you why Battle On! is such an apt title for this post. I think my last blog was about two months ago when I was announcing plans for National Beading Week. I…
There is so much going on with me at the moment that I’m just going to write a short post with a few mentions of the highlights. The CFS has been playing up recently, so it’s been tough trying to keep on track. I’m really happy to announce that my Christmas Beads books are all…
