Explanations of the Unnecessary Kind

Just a picture I took a few years back that I thought you might enjoy,

because who doesn't like a cool almost-sunset-at-the-beach picture? :)

I was thinking that I should explain my blog title and my reasons for a few of my recent posts.  I know it may not be necessary, but I really want to do it...Really. :) 

The reasons and explanations are vast and varied, so I'll tackle them in my favorite way to tackle things: bullet points!  They really are amazing little things...You should try them sometime.  They'll make you smile...or frustrate you to the point of screaming, which can be a release, so still a backward way to de-stress.  All in all, no pressure...but you should try them.  Go on!  Everybody's doing it! :D  (HaHa...Yah, I am in a mood today - I apologize now for the insanity, but it can be so much fun! :) )

Ok...Onto more serious things...Ahem. *wipes smile off face, and attempts to look serious, but the smirk keeps sneaking through*

• My blog title: Why did I pick the name Fibro, Fit and Fab! ?  Well, I'm glad you asked (or wondered, or at least are going to read this regardless of any vested interest you may have in knowing or not knowing the answer to this question)!  The answer has 3 parts aside from the fact that I just wanted something reasonably short that was memorable.
• Why Fibro:  Well, of course, this is for Fibromyalgia, the condition that kind of inspired me to start a personal blog again.  I thought about just using the word "Fibromyalgia", but I realized that having to type out Fibromyalgia each time was not going to go over well with my reading populous (unless they bookmarked the page) because who wants to type out that three dollar college word each time or tell a friend, "Oh, I found this blog about Fibromyalgia that might help you/that is helping me!  It's called Fibromyalgia___." *random comment about how that's great and what's the address*  "It's Fibromyalgia___.blogspot.com." *random comment on how is that spelled* "Um...Fibromi...No, wait...Fybromi...no, no, that's not it...Um...Let me look it up" - Get the picture?  Anyway, so I decided I should go with Fibro instead - obviously the right choice since it's easier to remember and spell. 
• Why Fit: I knew I wanted to talk about working towards becoming fit again (the struggles, failures and triumphs), too, so I knew that Fit should be in the title somewhere.  Easy enough so far, right?
• Why Fab: As to the Fab part, well...Who doesn't want to feel fabulous, and I'm not just talking about because you look good.  I wanted to talk about what makes me feel amazing and helps me stay upbeat.  I wanted to focus on the fact that life can still be fabulous, no matter the health issues and heartaches you may have.

So there you go - why my personal blog is called Fibro, Fit and Fab!  I know your life is more complete now knowing that. :)

• Recent posts that seem unrelated to the purpose of this blog: You may not believe this, but I really struggled posting the two posts prior to this one (the one about my daughter and the letter to the teenage me).  Why?  Because they weren't "on topic"...or so I thought.
  I wanted to and in fact did berate myself for using this blog as a release about things that weren't exactly Fibromyalgia topics in that they weren't about how I dealt with Fibromyalgia, they didn't mention Fibromyalgia, they didn't talk about current struggles with it or new medications or vitamins I was taking or exercises I was doing for it.  I even contemplated taking them down and starting a whole new blog to put them on.  What stopped me?  A revelation that only God can give, well, two actually.
• It's my blog and I can talk about anything I want!  Seriously!  I don't have to justify it.  I can go off topic - It really is ok.  But this isn't the main thing, because I really do care about being on topic and being a help, so I think this point is kind of moot.
• The posts are related to Fibromyalgia.  How?  Those things are part of my life, just like Fibromyalgia is.  Fibromyalgia does not define me.  It is part of me, but it is not all me.  If I can't blog about an adorably cute thing that my daughter did that made me smile or a heartfelt letter to my past self that makes me focus on how amazing God is and how far I've come, then Fibromyalgia has won.  I have lost "me" to it.  The purpose of this blog is to keep me, to improve me, despite Fibromyalgia, so those everyday things must find their way here.
  
  Those with Fibromyalgia, or any other chronic condition for that matter, must find normal.  We need to experience life in the best way we can and live.  We cannot live if all our thinking is devoted to our condition.  Our thinking must encompass all of our lives, not just the part that screams the loudest to be heard.
  
  I find great peace, comfort, help, love and joy in the small (or big) moments that distract me from my Fibromyalgia.  I find solace in sharing those things with you.  I love giving you the chance to see that, even with Fibromyalgia, there are still things in my life that make me forget all the pain and hardship of that and focus on other things - good things, things that transform me, things that amaze me. 
  
  I need to never forget that there is me, my life, my God, my friends and family and all those other things that need just as much attention as my condition does.  The more I dwell on those things, the less my Fibromyalgia is forefront in my mind (though I can never completely forget about it) and the more I am defining my life not my Fibromyalgia defining it for me.

I know that I didn't have to share any of this with you, but (as I said before) I wanted to.  I consider each and everyone of you friends whom I pray for (yes, I pray for the "unknown faces who read my blogs" and the known ones, too), and I want to share "me" with you because of that fact.  I guess it sounds strange that I want to pour my heart out to strangers (though I know I have friends and family who read these blogs, too), but it's how I roll. :)  Besides, some of you out there need to know that someone has been and is there, too, who you can come to if you need to talk, and I hope you know that you can come to me.  Just send me an email or comment below, and know that I am all ears. :)

May you have an amazing week!

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)