A Living With Arthritis Blog
The first stories I told were on the stage. A Saturday morning arts class when I was four years old introduced me to ballet, tap and theatre, and I was infatuated. I have spent most of my life on the stage. Ballet was my first love, but I adored all forms of dance, and I... Continue Reading →
The winter solstice is a time of hibernation and restoration. After the solstice, the days start to get a little longer and the light returns.
For two years we have each lived in the circle of our own inner sanctums, leaving the big wide world on the outside. Now the world is trying to creep back in again, swirling with uncertainty and overwhelming us with how fast it’s moving, but instead of trying to keep up with it, or worrying... Continue Reading →
One year ago, my husband and I said to hell with Covid and decided to get married - so we did. One year later, we are celebrating our anniversary in a brave new world. The pandemic altered a lot of plans - travel, birthday parties, graduations, and weddings. We were forced to learn a new... Continue Reading →
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 →
It’s an early Friday morning in February. The mild west coast weather has been draped in an arctic outflow. The white puff of my breath disintegrates in the cold air. It’s a chilly - 3 Celsius (26 Fahrenheit), and I’m sitting on my patio with a hot cup of coffee and taking in the morning.... 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 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 Old Lady in my Bones 