Gish Update

In the summer, as per my Blog Post about Gishwhes, I was on Team LeRadis and participated in The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.

It was Awesome. Hecktic. Terrifying. Freeing. Wonderful...

It was our 1st year as a team and had only one veteran to guide us through the mayhem. She was awesome, by the way.

Gish has a swag shop that offers a variety of apparel and what-not to purchase. The shop is open for a short time at registration and again for a little while after the hunt is done. Several team mates purchased a number of different things including cool shirts and the colourful Coffee Table Book.
As expected, but not without disappointment, we were not the winning team. We weren't even a runner-up. That's ok by us, we all had a great time, and I think most of us will do it again.

One of the fun parts after the hunt is... FEGVEP ... I don't know what that stands for... hang on, let me look it up... "First Ever GISHWHES Volunteer Extraordinaire Program" Ya. That. Not completely intuitive as to what that means. Basically Gish participants can volunteer to review submissions. They are given a selection of submission for a Hunt Item and they rank the ones they like the most; pick their 3 favorites. (They system is set up so that the volunteer doesn't get to review their own submission.)  I participated in this part as well, as did some of my teammates. Again. Super fun and Wow. some of the submissions were Fantastic!

Rach made the book too! - pg 207

The out-come of FEGVEP was the Coffee Table Book. The submissions that were ranked highest were put into the book.  Its another way for teams to get recognition for great submissions even if they aren't the winning team.

The tricky part is that you don't know if you're going to be in the book or not when you order it. You place your order before the judging even starts.  I didn't order a book. But. some of my team mates did.

Page 25

When the book arrived, we were astonished to learn that our team had made it to the book! TWICE!! How Cool is That?!?

I received a frantically joyous text from our fearless co-captain telling me that I made the book!  Me! One of my submissions made the book! I was pretty stoked! She graciously sent me a quick pic of myself, and later brought the book for me to see in person. We made the book - at least twice - it's a big book, so we've only found these so far. Maybe there's more.


So much fun and some awesome entries.

Until next time - Be Good to Each Other.

#AKF

My On-going Struggle...

If you've ever met me, chances are I was smiling and happy to see you.  If you've known me for any amount of time, you'll probably agree that this is my usual state of being. I'm known for being positive and happy. In junior high, one of my teachers even referred to me as "smiley".

It's real and I'm not faking, but it's not always easy either.

Ever since high school, I've been struggling with a variety of health issues.  I went from a very involved athlete (track and field including long jump, triple jump, sprint & long distance running, lacrosse, hockey, basketball, soccer, volleyball...)  wanting to try every sport I could and joining whatever teams time would allow, to not being able to get through a day without some sort of pain and sleeping 23hr/day on the weekends.

Even when I was struggling most, I managed to always stay positive.

Now that I'm well past high school and 45 is in the rearview (What?!) my struggles have only worsened, more diagnoses of various conditions including several auto-immune issues, and a definite increase in daily pain.

My knees ache all the time with punctuations of acute stabbing and ripping pains. Headaches are the normal for me. My back, legs, hips, shoulders, feet, and hands are constantly sore. Some days I can't move my hands (bend my wrist or fingers) and my grip strength is non-existent. My shoulders have seized up on several occasions, where I can't lift my arms more than a foot without searing pain. The joints and muscles in my feet can hurt so much that each step I take is excruciating.

I don't play hockey or volleyball anymore and running is out of the questions.

The medications I've been on haven't been a breeze either; side effects including stomach & digestive issues, appetite and weigh problems, nausea, hallucinations, dry mouth, grogginess and brain fog, to name but a few.

...and yet...

Every day I get up and go to work, or visit family & friends, or go shopping, or any number of activities.

I smile and laugh every day. I offer kindness to others and I try not to judge anyone.

I volunteer with the community and charities and I do what I can to bring hope and joy to others.

Everyone deals with their struggles differently, and we all have different kinds of struggles.

I'm lucky to have always had a positive outlook. I think it has helped me make it through each day, and trust me, there were days I could have easily given up.

I have no romantic notions that my life will one day turn into a fairytale, with no pain, no worries and only the best people around me, but I do have hope for joy. Not that it will magically happen, so I look for it, and I usually find it.

It's not all me, either. I have great friends and a wonderful family. They support me, emotionally and otherwise. They don't make me feel inadequate. They accept me for who I am on any given day and they encourage me to do what I can without judgment.

Not everyone is as understanding or respectful. Not everyone gets it.

Now, this year, today (Jan. 9th 2017), this moment, I am tired. I hurt and I'm worn out. I think I may even be coming down with a cold or flu or some other seasonal sickness. If I meet you today, or a day like it, I'll probably still smile, but it will be harder for me. I'll want to hear about you and what you're doing and why, but I may not have the energy to pay attention.  It's tough and might be frustrating for us both.

I may not look it, but I'm struggling. Everyday I'm struggling. More than you may ever know.

And I'm not the only one.

If you're not struggling, great!! Fantastic! But please realize that others are.

If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Keep fighting and keep smiling, even if it's hard.

Do something every day; maybe it's going to work, or for a walk, maybe it's simply getting out of bed.  What takes no effort for someone, may take all the effort they have for someone else. Don't let that stop you. Do what you can, make no apologies and don't buy into the negativity.

Know your limits, but don't limit yourself.

#AKF