"What Does Life Look Like If We..."

Recently, I asked someone their secret to being a long distance runner, and-

Welcome to a new week Word Nerds!

My Substack is where I am able to express myself creatively, share on all sorts of topics (not exclusively sickness) and it helps me to archive this “ongoing legacy” that I HOPE is the continual memoir project I’ve started.

Here, anyone who needs or wants a scholarship gets one… because kind friends help support the writing there, even if it’s just $5.

I write (now) every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (barring emergency… and sometimes, even then).

Why check out my column on CF News Today every Wednesday?

It’s the place where I write about illness with much less prose, and a lot more clarity. For some, this sort of “to the point” approach to medicine is refreshing when trying to understand a complicated disease, new test results, or any other sort of updates.

But here?

Here is where we (hopefully) get to hang out- imperfections, typos, and all.

Hopefully you enjoy some new words cooked up just for you.

xo

“I am all or nothing about being less all or nothing.”

I am trying to embrace the idea of “Consistency Above All Else”.

I have been slow-crawling my way back to doing more ballet barres lately, but the thing I hate to do THE most is anything stamina related. So, I decided to alternate my ballet days with "stamina days" to build my cardiovascular health back up… But that’s mostly involved doing “choreography catharsis” sessions where I make up choreography off-the-top-of-my-head, without judging if something is redundant or boring or anything adjective thereof.

I wish I was able to focus on my physical health (“workouts”) more, but I can’t seem to work out the ability to workout more. In fact, so far I’ve managed to do something only about once a week.

My goal is to get to three times a week, but each week has had so many appointments and work sessions (and so much spine fallout from sitting for too long) that I can’t seem to manage.

With other stamina based activities (running long distances or really wild HIIT workouts), I will do anything to avoid it or talk myself out of it... Which doesn't go a long way for consistency, you know?

But with dance, I can often push through from pure dopamine alone, even if I am alone.

Recently, I asked someone their secret to being a long distance runner (something I could truly never do), and they said that “it's better to go a moderate distance everyday, versus super-duper long day and short the next”.

In short: Doing something the “best you can most of the time” is always better than doing something “better than any other time, only some of the time”.

I think that this way of thinking can apply to so much in terms of health- whether doing our nebs, taking our medications on time, or getting more sleep.

Is consistency something we can even strive for in bodies that (for those who are chronically ill) bound by unpredictability?

Or is the only thing we can find consistency in the fact that we CAN’T be consistent?

If I embrace this way of thinking and plan for disruption…. Can I achieve more? Live more fully? Fight the anxiety of incompletion more effectively?

“Consistency Above All Else”.

Or else… what?

What does life look like if we stop trying to predict it all together, and just give in to giving up. Being messes. Not completing the task. Not going the longest distance we can.

What would life look like if we didn’t complete the…

Kindly consider booming a supportive Word Nerd if you’re able (every little bit counts and helps keep this ongoing memoir going, or… Share with you someone you like?