HAWMC

Lessons From a Grasshopper

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Health Activist Writer’s Challenge Month*  Day 5

I used one of two ‘get out of writing free’ passes yesterday.  I was mentally and physically exhausted and every time I sat down to write there was nothing, just crickets chipping in the depths where my mind is supposed to be.  But I slept last night, have a lighter workload today, and I’m ready to take on the challenge!

Ekphrasis Post.

I had to look this one up.  In its most basic sense, ekphrasis is the written or spoken description of a piece of visual art.

For this post we were instructed to choose a photograph to write about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is in the details, however fleeting those details may be.

*This month I am participating in Wego‘s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  Wego Health is a social media network focused on health activism.  The challenge (HAWMC) runs the month of April and the goal is to write 28-30 (you get 2 days off if you need ‘em) health-related posts.  Wego sends you a list of prompts for each day and, although you are in no way required to use them, I will mostly be following the list.  I chose to participate in the challenge after stumbling upon it during an unrelated search and am looking forward to this “online writing workshop”.   You can participate too!  If you have a venue for online writing and this challenge sounds intriguing to you then join in! Sign up to have the prompts sent to you here.  Check out the HAWMC blog, Facebook page, or #HAWMC for more of the good stuff: health activism!

Supersleeper

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Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge* Day 3

{Read Day 1 here, and Day 2 here}

Superpower Day. If you had a superpower – what would it be? How would you use it?

At first I despised the prompt* for this post.  “Superpower”, really?  I can’t even really explain it but the idea of it got under my skin.

Until I thought of my superpower.  Now I’m all about it.

My superpower would be to be a super awesome, consistent, out-when-my-head-hits-the-pillow-wake-up-eight-hours-later-feeling-fresh-and-ready-for-anything SLEEPER.

Man, that would be amazing.

I’ve never been a great sleeper.  The serious trouble didn’t start until college but even as a kid I remember having a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep (no doubt due in part to my small bladder/big thirst, I’m going to be in serious trouble when I’m pregnant…maybe I should just make a bed in the bathroom).

At 22 I was struck with a deep and long-lasting case of insomnia.  I didn’t sleep for 9 months (I don’t know if that is technically possible-probably not-but I didn’t feel like I fell asleep ONCE for those first 9 months).  For the next 7 years I ran on little to no sleep and it took a toll on every aspect of my life.  My immune system was a disaster, I caught every little bug that came my way, my weight went up, and I was always tired.

Thank goodness for my husband and all of his infinite love and patience because I was not fun to be around a lot of the time.  There were mornings when I was so exhausted and frustrated after another sleepless night that he would literally have to help me get dressed.

Luckily, the insomnia finally dissipated and for the last 12 months I’ve been sleeping again. I still have long, fitful nights and tired days but nothing like the constant, deep, stressful insomnia and deep fatigue that plagued me for so long.

Still, I would feel superhuman if every.single.night was a deep, peaceful, restful sleep and everyday was awake, alert, and energized.

Watch out Wonder Woman, ‘Super Sleeper’ is a force to be reckoned with!

What would your superpower be?

*This month I am participating in Wego‘s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  Wego Health is a social media network focused on health activism.  The challenge (HAWMC) runs the month of April and the goal is to write 28-30 (you get 2 days off if you need ‘em) health-related posts.  Wego sends you a list of prompts for each day and, although you are in no way required to use them, I will mostly be following the list.  I chose to participate in the challenge after stumbling upon it during an unrelated search and am looking forward to this “online writing workshop”.   You can participate too!  If you have a venue for online writing and this challenge sounds intriguing to you then join in! Sign up to have the prompts sent to you here.  Check out the HAWMC blog, Facebook page, or #HAWMC for more of the good stuff: health activism!