Don’t you think that life often puts things in front of you precisely when you need them the most.
I subscribe to a Newsletter from a really cool website called Brain Pickings and today it arrived with a TED video talk that completely captivated me. A woman by the name of Brene Brown speaks and writes about the concept of wholeheartedness. Her belief is that to live life whole – heartedly you must be not only authentic but also vulnerable. That is the tricky part – opening yourself up to life and exposing yourself. This has been something that I’ve struggled with. I’ve spent most of the last 8 years hiding this horrible disease from co-workers, friends, and even some family. I didn’t want to be treated differently, doubted, or ridiculed. I somehow felt that having AS made me less of a person and that I had personally failed.
I’ve come a long way in the past few years but announcing to the world that I have Ankylosing Spondylitis with this site was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It took a long time to realize that it is part of what makes me who I am and to not be ashamed of it. Now my challenge is to continually push myself to tell more about my journey – to live life sharing not only my art but myself.
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 45 was created with ink & watercolor.