Flare & Flourish

  Have you ever felt like you have everyone — but when you’re sick in bed, barely able to move, there’s no one? I’ve had so many of those days lately. Days where my body flares so badly I can’t even make myself food. Days where the pain silences me, and exhaustion steals every ounce of strength I have. And yet, life doesn’t pause. What makes it even heavier now… is that my husband is sick too. He’s usually my anchor — the one who notices the small things, the one who never lets me feel alone in this fight. But now, he’s the one lying down, needing care, and I’m the one trying to hold it all together. Cooking, cleaning, checking in on him, pushing my pain aside just to keep things running. And I’m tired. Tired in ways I can’t even explain. My body is screaming for rest, but there’s no backup. No one knocking on the door with a pot of soup. No one asking, “How are you coping?” No one to say, “Let me take something off your plate.” I know people mean well. I know life keeps everyone b...

                                                          The life of a Showgirl When life has you on your knees, searching for answers you may never fully find, you start clinging to anything that feels like light in the dark. For me, that light has been music — and more specifically, Taylor Swift. While seeking answers for my illness, I’ve had moments where all I could do was pray, cry, and sit in stillness. In those moments, “Soon You’ll Get Better” played softly in the background. Even though I know I might never fully get better, the song became my quiet companion — a reminder that someone out there understands the ache of wanting healing. Taylor’s music doesn’t just fill the silence; it breathes life back into me. When people can’t grasp what I’m going through — when my pain is invisible to the world — I put on “This Is Me Trying”. Those ...

                                                     Finding Relief in an Unexpected Way Living with autoimmune diseases and fibromyalgia is like carrying an invisible weight — one that shifts, tightens, swells, and suffocates in ways that are hard to describe. It’s waking up tired, going to bed exhausted, and spending the in-between trying to pretend you’re okay when everything in your body is screaming otherwise. But this past winter, something changed — and for the first time in a long time, I had a little relief. Winter is the hardest on my body As soon as the cold hits, my body starts to feel like it’s fighting a war it never signed up for. My hands, feet, belly, face, and joints swell like balloons — tight, heavy, and painful to the touch. There are days when even getting out of bed feels impossible. My skin feels like it’s burning from the inside,...

When My Body Feels Like a Magnet Dropped Me  Some days it feels like I’m walking on clouds, but not in a dreamy way — more like the ground beneath me isn’t quite real. I can be standing one moment, and the next it feels like a magnet has pulled me to the floor. No warning. No build-up. Just a sudden wave of dizziness, like gravity decided to shift its own rules. This is my life with constantly low blood pressure. It’s not always visible. It’s not loud. But it’s there — silently making everyday moments more complicated than they should be. Whether I’m brushing my teeth or standing up too quickly, the world spins. My legs feel like they’re not mine, and my balance disappears like a trick played on me by my own body. It’s not just “feeling faint” It’s walking into a room and forgetting why I’m there — not because I’m distracted, but because my head feels foggy and detached. It’s struggling to stay upright in the shower because the heat drains me even further. It’s that sudden taste of...

Healing As An Adult I’ve realised that as we grow older, life doesn’t necessarily get easier — it just changes. The weight shifts. And suddenly, you’re the adult who has to unlearn what hurt you and rebuild what you never had. No one really tells you that healing isn’t a straight path. It’s messy. Some days you’re proud of how far you’ve come, and other days you’re just tired of fighting the same battle in your mind. But here’s what I’ve learned: Mental health is everything. It’s the foundation of how we see ourselves, how we treat others, and how we show up in the world. I’ve had to train my thoughts like I’d train a muscle. “Mind over matter” isn’t just a saying — it’s survival. It’s whispering to yourself, “I can get through this,” even when your whole body feels like shutting down. It’s choosing not to let your past, your trauma, or your fears control your future. As an adult, you start seeing the cracks in everything. The way you speak to yourself. The habits you picked up in surv...

  Hello, August. You are the final breath of winter—the soft sigh before spring stirs from its sleep. You carry the chill in the air, but also a quiet warmth in your promise: It won’t be like this forever. There’s something tender about you, August. You don’t rush. You remind me to slow down. To sip warm tea a little longer, to hold onto cozy blankets, and to find beauty in the bare branches that are getting ready to bloom again. August, you are the in-between. The goodbye to frosty mornings and the gentle hello to brighter skies. You whisper to my soul that change is coming—but that I don’t have to force it. Growth can be gentle. Healing can happen quietly. This month, I’m not chasing perfection. I’m choosing softness. Soft words. Soft clothes. Soft moments with the people I love. Because after a long, heavy winter—inside and out—I’m craving lightness. Dear August, please be kind. Wrap your chilly mornings around me like a hug. Fill my lungs with clean, crisp air and my heart with...

                                                                    Mindful poetry In July, the chill runs deep,  A winter's breath, a world asleep. The stars shine bright in frosted skies, A quiet calm before sunrise. In cozy warmth, we slow our pace, Embrace the stillness, find our space. July reminds us, in the cold,  To seek the light within we hold. Follow me on twitter for updates  https://x.com/FlareflourishF