Update on

[Guest guest]

Well it looks like I wont be heading to camp tomorrow, which is a total bummer.

The fires are still pretty bad, but hopefully by Tuesday everything will be

cleared up and I can continue on with my plans. I started volunteering at Camp

Okizu seven summers ago, I was in the midst of a horrible flare feeling bad

about everything, I was 17 years old and I felt like I couldn't do anything

without being in pain or getting horribly fatigued, I didn't feel like my body

was my own, and I had a pretty bad case of the poor me's. My mom encouraged me

to get myself out of my funk by going and helping people who were worse of then

me, because yes what I was going through was horrible and she hated to see me in

pain, but at the same time there were people who had it much worse then me. She

told me to go out and find something I could do instead of focusing on all the

things I couldn't and that if I did go out and help someone I would feel a lot

better about me and in

return would help someone else feel better. So that first summer I headed up

there for a week just to give it a shot, I knew no one, I had never stayed away

for nine days without anyone i knew, it was all very knew. I came back a

different kid, I realized that what I was going through made me a stronger more

compassionate person, listening to these kids talk I also realized that if they

could stay positive so could I. It felt good to realize me just being there

helped. I made a difference just by being me and listening to what they were

going through. I have returned every year since.  So I'm hoping that I will be

able to still make it up there, because the kids need the staff, and the

reminder every year of how lucky I truly am is soo important. I come back

feeling blessed and more centered.

In other news I received my grades for the first semester of my graduate

program.. drum roll please.. 4.0 yep I got all A's. I was incredibly stoked and

I am feeling great about this decision to pursue teaching, not to mention I

absolutely love my cohort (fancy name for the other people I will take all my

classes with).

As far as the MCTD/JA/Whatever we want to call it, I'm not doing well and I'm

not sure why that is. I am scheduling an appointment for when I get back from

camp because my shoulders, knees, and wrists aren't so hot and something needs

to be done. Ugh it looks like its back to meds I go.  This is unbelievably

disappointing and yet, if I want to lead an active life I need to be willing to

do what it takes to get there.  So that's an update from me on me.

With Love,

(MCTD, 23)