Allow me to introduce…my blog. This has been a long time in the making, with my tribe rolling their eyes as I’ve cried “publish” more than once a dozen times. (Does the blogging world really need my voice? Who am I to think people will want to read anything I have to say?) I decided it was time to go public when I had another appointment last week where the doctor was stumped by my diagnoses….because they are rare, they are complicated, and yet I look like the picture of health (most of the time). Many of you know me as mom to my boys, wife to my Jim, or as an advocate for children and families, but only some of you know that I juggle multiple diagnoses, operating under the “spoon theory” of living with more than one disease.

As I’ve looked for resources amidst a huge void of information about some of my conditions, I realized that my story may actually have value for someone else. And thus, “Embracing Plan B” was born. I took what I thought was a leave of absence from a career in ministry last October to get well and figure out my next steps. What I never saw coming was the reality that my “new” symptoms were connected to diagnoses that are here to stay. Or that sometimes, one diagnosis piles on the other, and like a domino effect,  cascades into my day, causing me to trip over them and start over. One day I woke up and realized that this was my new normal. And while it was hard, it was also beautiful – because friends and family parachuted into this “hard” with casseroles, prayer, honey baked ham, jewelry, pajamas,cupcakes, soup, and even inspirational socks to remind me that I am not alone. Oh, and cupcakes.

Even my feet remind me that I can do hard things!

When you Embrace Plan B, you know that a good day is a day to be soaked up and rolled around in…and a bad day doesn’t mean the end of the world, but is a clue to listen to your body and pull back. You also learn that a good day has its limits, so you shouldn’t try to DO! ALL! OF! THE THINGS! but rather, enjoy it while conserving some energy for tomorrow. (I still have some work to do on this one.)

When you Embrace Plan B, you reevaluate your career, and launch a new business, under your own terms, with the bestlooking business partner, and you become creative with the hours you DO have – because circumstances can change on a dime, and gifts that aren’t used are wasted.

When you Embrace Plan B, and you were previously a bit …..structured…..resilience becomes your mantra, flexibility your new badge, and when simple days collide with feeling good, it’s pure sweetness.

Swimmers take your mark.

More about Jenny…a little history