Please choose kindness. Choose Joy.
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 353 was created in pastels.
Day 334 – Days Go By
To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else. ~Emily Dickinson
Life just moved along today.
Nothing startling but good news, bad news. Laughter and tears. Thank you to my friends and family (both my family family, and my AS family) for sharing this ride with me.
I could not ask for more – you are all very important to me.
I keep having these moments of reflection about this past year. The days are going by so quickly right now and I have so much to process and figure out and wonder about what comes next!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 334 was created in pastels
Day 299 – I’m Alright
I am so much better today.
Thank you to everyone for letting me have a moment. Sometimes in life I think we just need to let it all out – oy – I guess I did! I had my infusion today so the pain has already subsided some.
Remicade can really wipe me out for a few days while the magic TNF blockers grab hold of the inflammatory cytokines and render them ineffective. It’s like my body just wants to put energy to making sure the protein gets spread around and finds all the places it can go to work.
Exhausting work 🙂
I’m Alright makes me think of the Kenny Logins song – so here you go – take a moment to go back a few years, think for a moment about Bill Murray and Caddyshack and remind yourself, like I have needed to do today. We are all – alright!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 299 was created in pastels.
In The Studio
1. Countdown – 66 days to Apple-A-Thon!
3. Apple Recipe of the Day – From a new AS friend Kate – Wonderful Recipe, Gorgeous Photos, and a wonderful person too!
4. Interesting Article Of The Day – If I had just done marshmallows!
Day 275 – Saturday Apple
Day 273 – Getting There Is Half The Fun
Who cares what happens when we get there, when the getting there has been so much fun? – Will Schuester
Today was wonderful but if I told you the details you’d be bored to tears so I’ll refrain – well sort of. To sum it all up as succinctly as possible, we arrived in Rockland to get on the 10:30 am ferry to Vinalhaven and the line was epic.
. . .never had anyone ever seen it so long. . .
There wasn’t any chance we’d get on it or the 1pm and didn’t look good for the 2:45pm either which meant a day sitting in line, an enormous amount of talking about how epic the line was and some wandering around town. It was a day of “getting there” and I loved it. It may have had a tiny bit to do with my niece Parker who’s four and her two year old little brother, Beckett.
Being – Aunt Jenna – is not someone I get to be too often since I never had children. She feels like me but different – more alive, more allowed to express wonder and discovery and silliness. What a joy and a gift; sometimes a day of nothing can actually be about everything.
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 273 was created in pastels.
In The Studio
1. Countdown – 93 days to Apple-A-Thon!
2. Apple Recipe of the Day – Radish, Mango, and Apple Salad
3. Interesting Article of the Day – Vintage Folk Art Apple Basket in BLUE!
Day 246 – Scribble Scramble
Scribbles are full of energy and intensity!
Take out a piece of paper this weekend and just scribble. Scribble your frustrations, your happiness – whatever you may be feeling – feel it while you let go.
Scribble into a shape or words or just let loose, create a Jackson Pollock type of mess even! Use a rainbow of colors even just a ball point pen. Just do it! I bet you that after you do – you will feel so much better. I know I do!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 246 was scribbled in pastels.
Day 236 – Storms, Storms Go Away
These storms need to stop.
I cannot think much about apples or my back hurting or awareness efforts today.
My little world, my little troubles – are so very, very tiny in comparison to the destruction and lives lost and affected.
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 236 was created in pastels on watercolor paper – it’s what I had 🙂
Day 215 – A Peachey Apple
No, I didn’t spell that wrong.
Kelby is a Peachey Planner. She is beautiful young woman who has an amazing story. I consider myself very lucky to call her my friend and I’m proud to be walking with her and her “Peachey’s Pack” for the Arthritis Foundation’s Denver walk on May 14th.
Kelby and I met on twitter and realized we were both in the Denver area and planned a time to meet. There is something fascinating about meeting someone for the first time (in person) who you share so much with. We hugged like long lost buddies and never considered for a minute the age difference – we were kindred spirits in our shared struggles. I am so very, very proud of her and this apple is for her. This is how I see Kelby – bright, vibrant, and loving. Happy late Birthday sweet Kelby!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 215 was created in pastels.
Day 187 – Sweet Opal Apple
Get them while you can!
Have you ever tried an Opal apple? I hadn’t either but with my new found love of apples I found them on facebook and soon saw them at my local supermarket. My favorite apple has been MacIntosh – I’m from Maine and a true displaced New England gal so they remind me of home. After hearing about these yellow beauties, I thought I’d give the Opal a try especially since one of the parent varieties is the honeycrisp which I love too.
Oh my goodness – please go out and get an Opal – they are crisp, sweet, and glorious!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 187 was created in pastels.
Day 178 – Oh The Glorious Apple!
When people ask me “Why an apple as a symbol for AS Awareness?” my immediate thought is:
Oh the Glorious Apple!
All these gifts from just one seed,
The apple, soul and body feed,
Plant a seed and time will show,
That from one seed a tree will grow.
Oh the glorious apples. – Bill Harley’s Johnny Appleseed Song
Yeah, that isn’t really an answer so I thought I’d share with you some of my answers to “why apples?”
1. When I decided to use art to help raise awareness – I needed something I could create over and over again in many forms. Not only did this mean a shape that could be transformed but one that is extremely difficult to dislike. Who doesn’t like the glorious apple? I’ve so far created simple artistic representations in multiple media, some really fun pop culture apples like R2-D2, Super Apple, and Mr. Apple Head, and I’ve wrapped the apple in zebra, had it get an i.v. infusion, thrown it out as a baseball on the first night of the World Series – who knows what might be next!
2. Apples have anti-inflammatory properties and have recently been shown to be such amazing super foods that one a day can extend lifespan by up to 10%. There are all sorts of great benefits of the glorious apple!
3. The adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a powerful statement for people living with chronic illness. If it just took eating an apple a day to be well then we would all happily eat our favorite roughage and get on with our lives. Since eating your daily apple isn’t enough to make AS disappear – I thought that maybe if I “fed” or produced an image of an apple each day it might provide hope that one day saying “I have Spondylitis” will be as understood as “I have Cancer.” A tall order but that is what I am passionate about and what I work for everyday!
The Feeding Edge is where I can talk about what a life with spondylitis means and make it accessible to people who don’t have AS. I feel that for us to spread the word, we have to find a way to reach outside our community. Hopefully my endeavor, my journey to create 365 daily apples will interest people from all walks of life and maybe, just maybe, be interesting and challenging enough of a personal crusade that I can get some press. Awareness starts with stories and I am working on building a story. I hope you’ll all join me in being a part of this campaign. If you like the idea – talk with people about what I’m doing. Send my link to friends and family and join my Facebook page or better yet – get your Daily Apple in your email each morning! Share the images, post them on Facebook – these apples belong to you!
People don’t understand what we are dealing with, but perhaps they might like seeing each new daily apple creation and learn something about Spondylitis in the process.
Oh The Glorious Apple – now you know!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 178 was created in pastels.