A Living With Arthritis Blog
Photo by J.G. Chayko It’s halfway through the month of May and the sun has made a reappearance after a few days of unsettled overcast weather. I get out of bed feeling the heat in my swollen fingers and shake the morning stiffness from my knees. It’s the one of the few mornings I have... Continue Reading →
It’s a warm sunny afternoon, a week before the official arrival of spring. Wild crocuses and daffodils are erupting from the fresh soil, and the cherry blossoms have started painting neighbourhoods in a blushing pink hue. The birds are nesting and celebrating the arrival of a new season of hope and life in song -... Continue Reading →
Just over a year ago, on December 31st of 2019, my husband and I returned home from our yearly getaway to Las Vegas, the last international trip we took before the world changed. At that time Covid was still a distant ghost in the headlines, something far away and across the seas. Shortly after returning... Continue Reading →
The west coast windstorms swept in from the ocean drowning December in its usual cyclical trend. This year, the rain and wind seemed particularly heartless in the year we call 2020. When the rain stopped for a few days, the twinkling lights on houses and patios lit up the night sky, and filled the air... Continue Reading →
The weak light of the sun filters through the clouds, radiating a soft glow on a grey November day. Soggy amber leaves thread the groove beneath the curb of the sidewalk. The road stretches clear and quiet ahead. A cool breeze rushes over my face, each breath reminding me how lucky I am to be... Continue Reading →
“We never saw it coming. We never could have guessed that a virus would change our world. The possibility only existed in movies, and there was always a dynamic hero that came to the rescue with a cure.” - J.G. Chayko - Imagine RA Network: Chronic Illness in a Pandemic Life. The year is 2020.... Continue Reading →
The turning of the year is fast approaching. The darkness emerges a little earlier each day, the mornings are damp and shrouded in a ghostly mist, Mother Nature dresses in her finest colors and summons the howling wind to whip up a potpourri of brilliant splendor for our eyes. The burnt light from the harvest... Continue Reading →
It’s almost the end of September. The mornings linger in darkness a little longer, the dew sparkles on the grass, the sun sets a little earlier, an evening chill pierces the dusk. The summer is behind us as we fall into autumn, and it has been a quiet month. The summer was eventful and full... Continue Reading →
Beyond the thick red curtain, I can hear the murmur of the audience. I walk the stage through my opening scene, running the lines in my head, my usual ritual before the start of each show. I wonder if I’ll remember my blocking; I wonder how the audience will react; I wonder if I will... Continue Reading →
The sun warms my skin through the window. The mountains rise on either side of the road, green and lush from the spring rains sweeping through the valley. The blue sky is dappled with wisps of high cloud as we drive down the twisting highway. Once over the peak, we dip down into the desert... Continue Reading →
The Old Lady in my Bones 