A Toy Story Winter Tale

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If Woody & Buzz had Fibromyalgia in winter, even getting out of bed would require a rescue mission.

Winter arrives like an unexpected villain in my story.


One minute I’m Woody, confidently leading the toys through Andy’s room, and the next I’m Buzz Lightyear after his batteries died halfway to infinity and beyond.

Fibromyalgia in winter feels a bit like the toys being left outside overnight.

My muscles become Mr. Potato Head pieces that somehow got mixed into the wrong box. My knees creak louder than Rex trying to be scary. My hands forget they belong to me, and my energy disappears faster than Ham’s coins.

The cold sneaks in like Sid.

Not dramatic enough to be seen by everyone else, but causing absolute chaos behind the scenes.

On good summer days, my body feels like a toy with brand-new batteries. In winter? It feels like someone replaced them with the batteries from a TV remote that’s been blinking “low battery” since 2019.

And then comes the fibro fog.

Imagine Buzz trying to remember if he’s a space ranger, a toy, or a decorative lamp. That’s my brain on a cold winter morning.

I walk into a room and immediately forget why I’m there.

I open the fridge.

I stare.

The fridge stares back.

Neither of us knows what’s happening.

Yet somehow, like every great Toy Story adventure, the toys keep showing up.

So do I.

I wrap myself in blankets that would make even Lotso jealous. I hold my cup of coffee like it’s the Pizza Planet claw machine’s greatest prize. I put on my favourite Taylor Swift playlist and pretend I’m the main character in a snowy music video instead of someone negotiating with their own joints.

Because here’s the thing about fibromyalgia:

It may make winter feel longer.

It may turn simple tasks into side quests.

It may make my body feel like it’s running on the emotional support equivalent of two AA batteries.

But just like Woody always reminds the gang, nobody gets left behind.

Not even me.

So this winter, if you see me moving a little slower, wrapped in seventeen blankets, carrying a heating pad like it’s a beloved toy companion, just know I’m still here.

Still writing my story.

Still finding magic in the cold.

And still heading to infinity and beyond…

Just at a slightly more fibromyalgia-friendly speed.

Flare & Flourish

https://x.com/FlareflourishF 

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