I had an epic hike planned for this morning, my alarm set for 4am and the car all packed. My body had different plans. I woke with a lot of joint pain (not to worry, this is normal) and decided to take care of my body a little bit better today. Instead of heading out to the forest, I made my own little studio by hanging a black piece of fabric in my garage! The light was beautiful, and my neighbors were, undoubtedly, suspicious. I was taking a 10/10 in creep factor.

I get asked sometimes how I manage to run a business, take photos, etc. with an illness. (For those who haven’t read previous blog posts, I have Fibromyalgia, and I’m doing fine). Some days are great and some are not. Some days I rock my awesome cane, and other days I can climb a mountain. It varies. And not just for me, for everyone.

We all suffer from something. Mine isn’t very bad. It isn’t comforting to know that there are people who suffer worse than I do, but that does make me shut about about it most of the time. I don’t like to complain or whine or make excuses. I get my work done, plain and simple.

But some days you have to take care of yourself, and instead of overexerting like I used to do, I refocus and plan again. I take a step back and ask what will be better in the long run. Today I didn’t go hiking and I didn’t get to see my beautiful forest, but I had, dare I say, an even better time. I paraded my red fabric clad figure all around my driveway, walking as creepy as I could with my head down, obviously, to scare my neighbors. And I created something I love.

Productivity and pain are two things that go hand-in-hand for me. Accelerate one, reduce the other. I try really hard for that on most days. I am very driven, always have lists, always have ambitions…and where there are ambitions, there are ways to succeed. Take each day as it comes, adapt, and call every day that you pursue something you love a success.

Today, my success looked like a sleep in until 5:30am, a sheet hanging in my garage, and a flame princess. Heck yeah.

To anyone feeling less than your best, mentally, physically, or both, I hope you know it is okay (and rewarded) to take time for yourself, to do what you need to heal, and to put pride in your well being. And, big hugs from me.