See that? That’s me. That’s 44 with fibromyalgia that was triggered by 20+ years of rheumatoid arthritis. I’m a wife. A mother. A full time career woman putting on the largest and highest profile events for the capital of California. I’m a distance runner. I’m a yogi. I’m a photographer with a thriving little tiny business to manage.

Through all these things there should be more pride. But I’m tired. I hurt. My brain is foggy and I have to concentrate twice as hard to remember things or to process information. I’m lugging around many extra pounds which don’t help me any. My schedule is packed with events and meetings and photo shoots and cooking dinner and scheduling training runs. I’m tired. All the time. And that affects more than just me.

If there are any other Spoonies out there, anyone else suffering from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, RA, lupus, or another silent chronic pain ridden illness, please reach out. I’d love to hear about how you balance your life and thrive. It’s such an important story to tell.

And remember: keep kicking ass gently.