Posts Tagged ‘exhausted’

2 Apr

Green Healing ~ The Feeder

Posted by DOGKISSES in health, Nature, Photos. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

I think I’ve said this before in my blog, but I can’t believe the beauty that one bird feeder has brought into my daily life!  It is a blessing, for sure.

Life has been hard lately.  Pain has been nearly constant and my level of fatigue has been off the scales.  I am truly, exhausted. 

Honestly, I don’t feel much like talking (or writing) about my level of pain these days.  It is rather depressing, but when things get better, I look forward to saying, I made it! 

Now, about the feeder and the beautiful wild fliers that have come to visit.  (See the photo gallery at the end of this post).

I’ve started to recognize the sounds of a few birds, particularly the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I love seeing that bird!  I think I may have seen some little ones today and they were mighty cute little birds, but I’m too exhausted to identify my beautiful feathered friends.

The finches are easily recognized and lots of fun.  They are the least afraid and let me get pretty close to take photos.  They look at me too, which is pretty cool. 

The one bird I can’t get a good photo of is the Cardinal.  They fly away as soon as my hand goes for the camera.  There are two males having much fun chasing two females.  Their red wings are magical when they swiftly breeze by into the wooded areas.

There are so many birds around here that I can’t begin to name each one.  I’ve practiced watching them, without trying to get a photo.  This was hard at first, because of their beauty and my wish to share it with the world, but there is something to be said for the act of being still and observing.

The Mourning Doves are also not hip on me and my little Canon.  They’re also always the same color of nature, which makes getting a sharp photo a challenge.  I love to hear their soft call and the two of them are quite the pair.  One is always looking out for the other.

Aside from watching the pretty birds in my yard, being outside more often means spending more time with my sweet dog, Ruthie.  She is very happy about this.  She’s had some sad days since our Tiny boy passed on, but today she was happy. 

I took her to the dog food store recently.  She met a boy dog she liked, got a true dogkiss, and moved on to choose a Bully stick to chew on.  The store obviously puts them on the low shelves so the dogs can smell around, choosing the one they want.  I love letting her choose a chew.

She smiled so big at the excitement, which of course included a pet from a few humans.  Oh, I was glad to see her happy, but in a way, I also felt sad because I realized that she hadn’t been smiling much lately. 

Ruthie knows I’ve been sick, and my son has struggled too, so of course, being such a sensitive dog, she has also felt the pain.

Ruthie is like an angel.  She helps people.  She knows when people are in pain or sad and she goes right to those people.  She wants to help.  It is simply her nature.  Ruthie is a blessing, which I’ve also probably said before.

Sitting on my favorite bench, surrounded by trees and bright green moss, watching the beautiful birds, listening to their warm weather excitement and seeing sweet Ruthie smile, all made for a good Easter holiday and, a Green Healing experience. 

I’d like to share a few photos of my backyard beauties!  I hope you enjoy the virtual view.

Morningtime ’round the Feeder
Yes, I am Beautiful!
Darling Downy
Yellow for Easter
The Feeder
Fine Feathers
Ruthie gets a hug!
The Dove’s Light
The Dove’s Rocks
The Feeder and a morning Visitor
Pretty in Red
Sweet Spring with Wings

Thank you for visiting DogKisses!  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Peace and Blessings.

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26 Apr

Without the label of fibromyalgia

Posted by DOGKISSES in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, health. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

why do some people dislike labels when they help us understand what is going onWithout the label of fibromyalgia, I’m a human being in severe pain.

I am a human being who feels pain 24/7, 365 days a year.

Without the label of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome — I am a human being who is more than simply exhausted.

I’m not talking about the kind of tired I used to feel after a hard days work.  Not the kind of tired some people say I might have, “because I don’t run ten miles a day like they do,” or “because I write,” or “because I need to get out more often.”

People who think they know why I’m tired or in pain, who don’t know one little iota of truth about fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, are people whose opinions mean zilch to me.

I was a firefighter.  My training made me so tired I had to go to the doctor.  This was before any diagnosis of fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  This was before Lyme disease in 2003 and near death from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in 2005.

I got over being tired after that training.  The doctor, who is a homeopathic physician, told me to rest and drink fluids with electrolytes.  So I did and after a day or two,  I could run with the best of them again.

Without the label of fibromyalgia, I am a person who has severe problems sleeping.  I never get good sleep.

Without the “label,” I am a person who sees days where taking a shower wears me out.  I get all nice and clean.  I get dressed.  I fix my hair.  Sometimes I even put a little makeup on.  Then I take my shoes off and fall on my bed from sheer exhaustion.

Without the label, I am a person who cannot live an active life.  Some days I’m a person who spends the day in bed, not sleeping, too tired to read, too tired to move, who just lies there like the living dead.

Without the label, I am a person who strives to make it through one trip to the grocery store and 98% of the time I can’t get all that I intended to get.  I could if I used one of the riding carts or whatever they are called, but I’m not there yet.  I’m not at a place in my mind where I feel I’m ready to reveal to the public how disabled I am by FATIGUE.

Without the “label” I am a person who hurts when I take wet clothes out of my washer.  I am a person who hurts when I push a vacuum cleaner.  Many days, I’m a person who feels like a plastic bag weighs ten pounds.

Without the label, I am a person who gets so tired that my brain seems to collapse inside my head.  This is called, brain fog, but some people can’t take labels.

Without the label of brain fog, I’m a human being whose brain stops functioning and I have a hard time adding 2 + 2!

Without the label, I would be quite confused as to what the hell is happening each and every moment I live!

Too tired to say how tired I am of people who don’t know squat about what it means to live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the pain of fibromyalgia.

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Image of ferns by, “The Graphics Fairy”

I chose the image of the fern because even plants have labels.  I stand on both sides of the fence, or perhaps I’m the FenceSitter, regarding the use of labels in medicine.   Labels are useful but can be abused.  Labels can be used to identify a whole person and I believe, those of us who have an ongoing health issue, illness(es) or disease(s), know that we are more than a label.  We remain fully human.

Thank you for visiting my blog.