CP Day!!!

Dear Reader,

Today I wear green for a very special reason! Nope, I haven’t got my days wrong and doing this for St. Patrick’s Day. Nope, I haven’t converted my favourite colour to green, it is still very much rainbow (though I could be just repping one of its colours just because, but it’s not that either). I am seen in green today because it’s Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day!

For those who don’t know what the heck Cerebral Palsy is, I described it as something that means my movements are a little uncoordinated . Why? Well I don’t really like the ‘why’ very much as for some, this can spark a spiral of stories in their mind when they hear the phrase ‘Brain Damage’ and don’t hear or ignore the rest of the sentence. Also another reason why I haven’t wrote about CP in this way before is because to me this bit is kind of irrelevant as you know the damage has sort of…already been done…I think that is the saying anyway! But as it is CP awareness day, I will try to explain quickly!

Yes, CP is a result of brain damage, which that occurs before, during or after birth or in childhood, and has an impact on the part of the brain that is responsible for a person’s movement and coordination. This, therefore, has an impact on one’s physical ability. The symptoms and severity of CP varies from person to person, so I can only write about my experience which will definitely be different, if only slight, from someone else. For me, as said earlier, my movements can be shaky, slow and CP can also throw in a few unwanted moves now and again. With this, there is also one huge give away when I am a little anxious about something – I am a more wobbly than usual (shaky Sallie X10!!). Sometimes my muscles can be stiff especially on my right side of my body therefore can be hard to complete tasks with my right hand, therefore I tend to do almost everything with my left. Also, as if CP hasn’t stole enough limelight-still at least it’s in keeping with its colour-, it means that the group of muscles controlling my speech also moves  a little different to someone without CP, so as a result my speech is a little impaired. This aspect in particular I do find hard sometimes even now, though my speech as improved a lot. Whenever I get into a fluster I try to spin my perspective to something more helpful and a little more positive- not many folk can get to be heard twice or more!!!

It is so so important for people with CP or with any other obstacle, for that matter, not to be defined by them-it is something you HAVE it is NOT you!!! The worst but empowering, in retrospect, stages CP is when one is a child and a lot of doubt is around about their abilities. My parents were told I would never sit up, when I was very young, but a few years after they were told this I could even take a few steps. All the ‘no’s’ I got given about being able to achieve certain things I was , with the support of my family, able to show to myself that I could. It is sooo essential to only have those around you who believe otherwise, who believe in you. With this, another thing to remember is that no matter what anyone says you can turn around and write your own story!! You can rebrand parts of you challenge to make it a little easier to manage or comprehend. For example if I’m walking with someone and happen to stagger, I may say something like “Yep, I’m showcasing my dramatic ballet again.’ By doing/ thinking like this it make things a little lighter.  Or if I am having a day where I feel that I am going a little more slowly, I try to remember that everyone0 is meant to go at their own pace as a streak of comparison tries to creep in! Life hacks are sometimes just needed!!

Over the last few years since writing to you, I have become more open and been able talk more easily about my CP.  In addition, I have also been able to learn things about CP from others that have resonated with me. Even though there are many down sides to social media, this is a big up; connecting with others who have experienced similar things to you is invaluable and, furthermore, you feel less alone. Days such as these are important as it highlights and builds awareness around a particular cause or condition of something that one may know little about. Writing parts of this has been hard. There are areas of my disability I still find difficult to express. But this is another vital factor about awareness days- they can be reflective and as a result alleviate some heaviness around certain thoughts.

Putting together my outfit for CP Awareness Day has been so very fun and this is how life usually can be, which can be easily over looked. Days like today, though it brings about awareness about a condition, they also allow one to realise that there is a lot more to a person than their diagnosis!

Here’s to CP Awareness Day!

All my love XX

Moving out of your comfort zone

✨? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones?✨

It’s always good to try things not in your comfort zone as you never know the outcome even if you think going know!

As part of my cerebral palsy my right hand is not as good in completing tasks. It becomes even more stiff and movements are then more involuntary. Because of this my left hand became my default hand to use.

For a time now I have been trying to use my right hand more. One of the ways that I trying to exercise my right hand is through painting ???

Never doubt you can’t improve because you CAN

Inspire Each Other!

?✨? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones?✨?

There nothing more magic than human connection, which can be found and formed in many ways ? Social media, although there is a dark and dangerous side to it, it can be a platform to encourage and inspire and can allow like minded people to find each other, something that would not happen otherwise. @kreationsbykittles has Cerebral Palsy and shares her triumphs on her page. A few days ago I received a wonderful surprise in the post- one of @kreationsbykittles beautiful paintings, which I just love love love! She paints with her cp affected hand which I think is just amazing-I know I would find this really hard to do!!

Receiving this post inspires me, firstly because it shows what determination can do and wills me to do better and secondly it a reminder that all of us on instagram and all other social media are real and therefore genuine connections can be made ???

Living Dreams

?✨? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ?✨?

There is nothing more magic in the world when I see one of my dearest thrive, dare and go out of their comfort zone and realises their abilities; it genuinely makes my heart happy. My beloved sister, Mairead- @mermaiidmairead– has gone from strength to strength over the past year. She turned hobby into a passion and then into a business.

Mairead had worked so incredibly hard on @thewanderingmermaids. The jewellery she makes is full of colour, magic and radiates happiness and at the same time brings her so much joy-even when pulling a very late night shift ! @thewanderingmermaids had a very first pop up yesterday and my word she did herself proud! !

@thewanderingmermaids have just creations of a brand new line and their are so beautiful!!

Mairead shows just what you can do with a courageous heart and with this she inspires me so much ???? Who makes you be your best self?

Do You

?✨? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ?✨?

From time to time we all have experienced that feeling of not doing enough. Thinking that we are not where we thought we would be; that we are so far behind that we’ll never catch up and then we see other people doing the similar thing to us that we believe to be miles ahead of us. With all these thoughts, catastrophizing the situation that we find ourselves in, we forget our differences and that it is these differences that makes us so beautifully unique. These diversities will see every one of us go on different paths and face our own challenges. So we will naturally do things in our own way, at our own speed.

If you feel like you going too slow or too fast, remember that you are doing things your way and you can’t compare that to anything. Look for the Frank Sinatra in you and be proud in saying you “Did it…(your)…way”!!! ??❤?

Here’s to you! Here’s to me! Here’s to us!

Dear Reader,

A big congratulation to you for making and experiencing another day!! You, me and the rest of the world were put on this very planet for definite, unique and individualised reasons; some of us know why and soaks up all of what that path has to offer, some of us know why but refuse to believe the reasons for their existence, some of us do not why and carries the weight of the ‘puzzling’ world on their shoulders and  then there are some that do not know their reason for existence but-to hell with logic-they dance in the moment.  I’d like to think that currently I am living somewhere in the last category. I definitely don’t have a mapped out plan of ‘where I’d like to be in five years’ time’ nor do I want one because that would be freakishly scary and kind of boring; seriously where is the excitement in knowing what kind of job you’ll have or where you’ll be in the world or what relationships you’ll have- everything is always changing anyway! I wasn’t always and am not always the chillaxing-to-the-max kind of girl; I always needed or wanted a plan knowing which paths I should take and which ones I should dodge. When I first appeared not to have a plan I freaked out, thinking, panicking ‘what now?‘ But I was still alive, I had people I could talk it out with, there was opportunities- or I had opportunities if I was to open my mind-, an0d I had me!!

Within all this internal roaming and frantic search to mute the bellowing siren which was going off inside the mind, I forgot how far I’ve come, what I had and how just to be. If I’m honest I think most of us go through these moments, moments that interrupts and halts a carefree day.  But as soon as this white noise aims to overtake, starting to play with your imagination and predicting the future- a future that is a fable because it is not here yet-, stop the racing thoughts and reflect.  Reflect on you and what you have achieved. Think back to those times where you have proved can’t wrong and have gone out there and TOTALLY ACED IT! This is by no means easy and celebrating yourself could sound a bit alien to you- it did to me too- and a little egotistical- it did to me too-but you and I are the only ones who allow ourselves to pursue and accomplish our set goals so it only makes sense for us to give ourselves a well done. This could mean that you faced a day where you wished you could have skipped over- you got through it, you survived: high five; the wishes and visions you had-you are now putting into practice: high five; those who said “you can’t”-  you did: high five; the unhelpful thoughts that were planted in your mind- you have let go of: high five;  you know that no one in the world is like you AND because of that the world has been waiting for you: come on, let’s hug it out!!!

You may have read my posts before (a huge thank you for coming back!) and therefore might know that I have something called Cerebral Palsy (a condition affecting muscle coordination). So some of my achievements have been to do with overcoming the physical challenges CP faces me with, trying to strengthen my mobility so that I can be as independent as I can. More achievements relate to personal goals, being determined not to be thrown off by anyone or anything or even myself! This comes in the form of facing fears, fulfilling my passions and finding my own voice. These triumphs are reminders to keep calm when things are a bit blurry.

As I have said before, thinking about your own accomplishments is hard and it is very easy to deny yourself of your worth, saying “I got nothing.” But I bet you got an ocean of amazements inside of you!!  I bet I’m right! How small or big you think your accomplishments are does not determine its credibility or worthiness of celebration. It’s about YOU and what YOU have overcome! Anything that’s fills you with excitement, anything that makes you jump for joy, anything that makes you feel alive, matters!! I hope that as you read this, you have thought of things that you have overcome please hold on to them for now and for always.

All my love XX