Me In A Nutshell

My last post I ended with the footnote that I had written my brief/concise bio paragraph for the photographer Kathie Austin of KathieAustin Photography and that I would share it with you in my next post.  Well, that next post is NOW…obviously!!  LOL!!!  So, to end your suspense, here it is.  :-)

As a huge country music fan, there are lyrics to a particular song I enjoy that sum up a way in which I approach and live my life.  They are: “You get tired and you don’t show it.  Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more.  That’s the only way I know.”  You may ask why I can identify so strongly with those lyrics, and the simple answer is that I’m a 43-year old woman who is a single mom to a happy, loving, affectionate, and rather funny boy who is constantly on the go.  What I wouldn’t do to be able to tap into his level of energy!!  But, through feeding my body by eating healthy and nutrient-dense foods; feeding my mind through expressing my creativity in a variety of ways; and by feeding my soul with living a life full of optimism and hope, and always keeping a smile on my face, I’m able to be the best person and mom I can be.  No matter what life has thrown my way, I always come back fighting and coming out stronger than before.  Yeah, I’m stubborn like that!  Oh, and in addition to all that, I’ve been living with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 13 years of my life.  No pity party going on here.  It’s just not “me” or who I am.  So remember that even in the hardest of times, all you have to do is dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more.  It really does make a world of difference. 

***I did make a few more grammatical/punctuation changes to the above, but the words are the same as what I handed to Kathie.  What can I say, I’m not perfect, I make mistakes…as rare as that may be for some of you to believe. ;-)  LOL***

Yep, that’s me in a nutshell.  Well, at least the VERY generalized me for the past few years.  No doubt there is so much more to me and my life on many levels, which this blog has and will continue to reflect upon, expose, and discover along the way.  But, at the very core of my being, this is who I am…This is where the culmination of my life experiences has brought me…right here, right now…at this exact moment in time. 

As soon as I can, I will post the photo Kathie took of me and EJ for our upcoming Christmas card.  It blew me away when I saw it.  I’ve always known my son is quite photogenic (Yeah, I may be biased because I’m his mom, but he truly is a cutie pie!!!), but I didn’t turn out too shabby, if I do say so myself. ;-)  LOL!!!

Well, until next time…

Wishing you peace, love, and happiness,

Kristyn

Inspiration and Encouragement

Surprise Surprise!!!  Look who's back. :-)

Yes, it has been about 6 months since I last blogged.  There are many reasons, and even some excuses, as to why I haven't posted, but do they really matter?  I don't think so.  What matters is that I'm back!!!

The reason I feel like I am back is because of two recent happenings in my life.  Or, more precisely, two people.  One whom I would deem incredibly encouraging; and the other, obviously, would be the inspiring one.

First, the "encouraging" individual as this one will be easier to explain.  My son and I recently had some professional photos taken of us which we plan on using for our 2013 Christmas cards.  The photographer, Kathie Austin of Kathie Austin Photography in Vernon, NJ, happened to have posted on my Facebook page about a week ago that she was editing the photos, and that I was a beautiful woman.  That was so sweet of her, and it made me feel good about myself.  She then sent me a private message asking me to write up a little bio, something brief/concise/simple, talking about my having Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and being a single mom.  She said I had a story to tell and she wanted to tell it when she posted my pics, presumably on her website.  Of course I said I would do it.  She is an amazing photographer who has this uncanny ability and talent to tell stories through her pictures.  This woman is a true artistic visionary when it comes to her passion.  Writing up the bio is the least I could do for her. :-)  Plus, when I saw some of the photos a couple nights later...O-M-G!!!!!  They are STUNNING!!  She captured so beautifully that strong mother/son bond EJ and I have. 

So, because of that, I now need to put on my writer's cap and come up with this mini yet concise bio about myself, my MS, and being a single mom.  The hard part about this is even though Kathie thinks I have a story to tell, I hate talking about myself because I don't see anything special in who I am or what I am doing.  I'm a 43-year old woman who happens to be a single mom for the past two years to an active, on-the-go 5-year old little boy; and oh, I happen to be dealing with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 12+ years of my life.  I am just me.  I do what needs to be done and try like hell to be the best mom I can be.  Don't all us moms do that?  

However, after speaking with the "inspiring" one I touched on above, it's caused me to re-evaluate and look deeper into myself, my beliefs, my feelings, and many other areas of who I am as a person and as a woman.  In the most calming, trusting, accepting of ways and conversations, he's caused me to peek into those dark corners of my soul and confront some shadows that have been haunting me and holding me back in many ways throughout my lifetime.  Our conversations have also made me look at what I really want out of my life on many different levels.  I've never felt so vulnerable yet so safe talking with anyone before on such deep levels.  It's scary but exhilarating all at the same time.  So, based on some of our conversations and what I'm learning about myself, I've been inspired to write, which brings me back to this blog.  It is called "Rediscovering Kristyn" after all, and that is what I'm going through at this moment in time.  I'm truly rediscovering myself on a completely different, new, and exciting level.     

On that note, I will end this post.  I'm sure there will much more to post now that I've been encouraged and inspired.  It's amazing what can happen when those two energies come together at the same time.   :-)

Wishing you peace, love, and happiness,

Kristyn


***I started writing this post a few days ago, so I hadn't written my piece for Kathie yet.  However, it is now complete, and I brought it to her the other day.  She was pleased with it and said it inspired her to re-start the "Inspirational Women" part of her website.  I will share what I wrote for her in my next post in a few days.  I need to first get though the family turkey day tomorrow!!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! :-) ***