HAWMC Prompt 30: Gobbeldygook Day

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to make up a new word (it can be a combination of two words or complete nonsense). What is the word? How do you pronounce it? What does it mean? Use it in a sentence.

A portmanteau or portmanteau word is "a blend of two (or more) words or morphemes into one new word... [It] typically combines both sounds and meanings."

CHRAIN [krn, kreyn]
    -noun
1. portmanteau of "chronic" and "pain"
2. hurt, discomfort, or distress that is constant and has an indefinite duration
3. a state of physical, emotional, or mental lack of well-being that is marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness

Sentences:  I've had chrain for years. Chrain has interfered with all aspects of my life.
 

HAWMC Prompt 29: Health Cliche

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Photo by Noodle93

Today's challenge is to think about a health cliché that really bugs me, and then reclaim it by turning it around and make it something that I can be comfortable hearing. A cliché is "an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel."

There are a lot of clichés flying around, especially when someone has a medical condition. Over the past few years, I've heard my fair share of them... "It could('ve) be(en) so much worse." ... "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." ... "This too shall pass." While people using these clichés have good intentions, they can be very hurtful.

"It could('ve) be(en) so much worse." - I know that it could've been worse. I know that it could be worse now. This rarely provides any sort of relief, but I try my best to thank God that things weren't/aren't worse.

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." - I know that the Lord is using this difficult time to make me stronger. It doesn't make things much easier;but knowing that He's using these trials to mold me into the woman He wants me to be gives me motivation to keep going, even in the darkest and hardest of times.

"This too shall pass." - There is no cure for Migraine disease. So, I just continue to seek the best treatment I can, and try to improve the quality of life I have with Migraine, because the chronic pain may be something I have to deal with the rest of my life. I have faith that the Lord will help me through the trials along my journey... knowing that Him seeing me through doesn't necessarily mean that He's going to take away the pain.

HAWMC Prompt 28: I Used To Be...

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to write a short story or poem, where every sentence starts with the phrase "I used to be" and ends with "but I'm not anymore."

I used to be active, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be (more) confident, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be quick-witted, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be scholarly, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be independent, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be isolated, but I'm not anymore.
I used to be terrified, but I'm not anymore.

HAWMC Prompt 27: Quote Prompt

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

by Vicki Swords

Today's challenge is to find a quote that inspires me either positively or negatively, and then write about it. I've always loved quotes! So, choosing a quote for today's post was both easy and hard. I was just going to include the last paragraph quoted below by Charles Colson, but the beginning gives some background to his life. The italics have been added by me, and will be referred to below.

"...The real legacy of my life was my biggest failure – that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation – being sent to prison – was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life; He chose the one experience in which I could not glory, for His glory.

Confronted with this staggering truth, I discovered in those few moments in the prison chapel that my world was turned upside down. I understood with a jolt that I had been looking at life backward.

But now I could see: only when I lost everything that I thought made me a great guy had I found the true self God intended me to be and the true purpose of my life.

It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn’t want our success; he wants us. He doesn’t demand our achievements; he demands our obedience. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self."

~ Charles ("Chuck") W. Colson (Loving God)

There are so many things packed into this long quote. It's so moving and powerful to me; and it's taken on so much more meaning, since I've been trying to find purpose and acceptance among the pain that I've experienced since my car accident.

"He chose the one experience in which I could not glory, for His glory." - There is nothing glorious in chronic, unrelenting pain. However, God is using this time in my life, so that He will be glorified. It is only through Him that I've endured so much. And, though my faith has been shaken at times during these trials, I know that God is my strength and He deserves all the glory.

"...only when I lost everything that I thought made me a great guy had I found the true self God intended me to be and the true purpose of my life." - Over the past 10 years, I've actually had a series of losses of things that I identified myself by. I felt completely lost, when I was injured in high school and no longer able to play softball or run. When I was in the car accident 2.5 years ago, everything else seemed to fall apart (sometimes over time and sometimes all at once). Suddenly, I couldn't read and write because of pain and memory issues. I was trying to deal with my mind processing slowly, which wasn't something I really dealt with much before. I've always identified myself with my mind, and I could no longer do the type of stuff that I loved so much. I tried returning to school (starting graduate school), but struggled so much. BUT, I know that God is working in these trials to prepare me for His calling on my life. I'm journeying to find my true self and life purpose, who God intends me to be and what He calls me to do.

"It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us." - I've always wanted to make a difference in people's lives. It's been my fervent prayer that God use me as a vessel and work through me to reach others. I've been humbled on many occasions, when I'm afforded the opportunity to see how God has worked through me in certain situations or ways. It's such a blessing!

"God doesn’t want our success; he wants us." - This has been more difficult for me to swallow. I've always been a perfectionist and very results-oriented. Not to mention, our society places so much emphasis on being "perfect" and "successful." I've always known that God loves me unconditionally, but I've always wanted to... perhaps "make Him proud." It's a difficult thing to truly grasp that our God wants our successes and our failures, our strengths and our weaknesses... because He doesn't categorize the same ways that we tend to (our failures may be ways to steer us towards His calling, so that we might experience great successes). God wants each of us, and every part of us.

"He doesn’t demand our achievements; he demands our obedience." - This one is somewhat an extension of the previous section of the quote (see above). But, it speaks to God's demand for our obedience. I've been learning this one, especially over the past few years. The car accident injured me in such a way that I'm unable to achieve what I was before. But, God doesn't demand my achievements, He demands my obedience. I've struggled a lot with the obedience and discipline aspects of my faith.

"The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross a holy God is utterly glorified." - How true it is that "the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox" (an interesting read is a sermon by Timothy Peck, The Paradox of God's Kingdom). Jesus suffered and died on a cross, in order for God to ultimately be glorified.

"Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self." - These are more paradoxes. I think that God often uses trials to bring us closer to Him. When we are at our weakest, He is our strength. When we our broken, He is the only one that can truly heal us. And, when we feel defeated, He is working behind the scenes preparing us for victory.

HAWMC Prompt 26: Spirit Animal Day

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to give my condition a spirit animal. "Write about yourself or it as though you/it are that animal. What qualities of the animal do you or your condition possess that are positive? How is this a metaphor?"

I was having a little difficulty coming up with what to write about, so I did an online search to see what I could find. I ended up finding a simple 15-question quiz to help you discover your spirit animal. Once I took the quiz, my score resulted in my spirit animal being a wolf. I've always been fascinated by wolves. And, as I read the description on the results page, it started to occur to me how this might just be fitting. Some of the wolf's characteristics are listed below, along with a description of some ways that I display/ralate to them.

Enhanced senses. I have sharp, enhanced senses. I can smell even the slightest of smells, and can be easily overwhelmed by too many scents at one time. I can hear even the softest of sounds. I can see even a single beam of light through a curtain or under a door.

Stamina/endurance. I have endured a lot, especially through the trials of the last few years. My body has been through so much trauma. My mind has been faced with difficult challenges to overcome. My soul has struggled to find meaning in the chaos and keep faith in the Lord. He has helped me to endure... and is helping me still.

Family. I form deep connections with close family and friends, and they know that I'd do anything to protect them. I am steadfast, loyal, devoted, and passionate.

Inner strength and intuition. I am growing my intuition, instinct linked with intelligence. Even when I feel weak, I know that the Lord is building my inner strength, in preparation to fulfill His calling on my life.

Adaptability. I'm learning to take advantage of change. I've been faced with a transformation (a death of my old self, and a birth of my new self), and I strive to face it with courage. The new paths and journeys that lie before me are unknown/unclear; but I'm learning to fear change less, and trust God more.

Perseverance. Despite these trials and obstacles, I continue to put one foot in front of the other. Some days I need more help than others, but I try to keep pressing onward.

I ended up taking a second quiz (on a different website), and my result was the coyote. The coyote is a cousin of the wolf, so it seems pretty fitting and consistent with the other quiz I took. The website where I took the quiz describes the coyote:

"According to shamanistic wisdom, coyotes are the animal world's trickster. Coyote people have a way with words, and a unique way of seeing the world. Never ones to take things at face value, coyote people question authority with sly jokes. Luckily, their wit usually keeps them out of serious trouble. Coyote people often prefer to have a few close friendships instead of lots of casual ones.

If you are true to type, you probably have a wry sense of humor and are the first to weigh in with a sarcastic joke. People who don't know you well may not get your sense of humor, which may have gotten you into trouble here or there... unless you used that old Coyote charm to get out of it..."

HAWMC Prompt 25: Red Pen Day

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to find an old post of mine and revise it as radically as I can.

I've always enjoyed proofreading (mainly for other people). It's one of those things that most other people hate to do, but I like it. I tend to see spelling and grammatical errors almost jump off the page. This is the one place my perfectionism and detail-oriented nature really come in handy.

I looked through a few of my older posts, but wasn't finding a whole lot that I would actually change. I typically proofread my blog entries (at least once) and do spell check, before I post them online. I also try my best to do my research, before I post a blog about migraine disease. And, posts that are on a more personal level are what I was thinking and/or feeling at that time, and that's not something that I'm going to change or even try to clarify because it's a snapshot of that time.