After much internal debate, I’ve decided to resurrect my blog. Mainly because the idea of writing made me feel excited, and I haven’t felt like that for a long time.

I was hesitant to do this because I have very little energy, and so it was a commitment I wasn’t sure I should make. Plus, confrontation really upsets me, and I thought that some of what I intend to write about might cause – let’s say, heated discussion. I’ve approached this issue by deciding to turn off the commenting function. Even though a part of me feels that this is a little rude – if I’m sharing my opinions, then shouldn’t others have the right of reply? – my Twitter community let me know that they thought this action was perfectly acceptable. So that’s what I’ve chosen, for now.

Why do I have so little energy? One of the reasons I have decided to start blogging again is because I’ve been, and still am, very sick. And I want to share what that experience has meant for me. I’m also very lucky to have met a lot of other people who face the same challenges, and so I want to acknowledge what a massive support they have been.

As you’ll see from the list of previous posts, I used to write this blog several years ago. I thought about hiding all the old posts and starting anew, but I didn’t really want to lose that record. Even though, when I read that old stuff, it doesn’t really feel like me anymore. I would actually appreciate it if readers didn’t delve too far back, it gets a little embarrassing.

Here’s what the next few blogs will be about, respectively: My illness; money; identity; the day-to-day effects; what I’ve learned; making friends, and vulnerability. Even though these topics are all related, I’ve split them into bite-sized chunks so I can manage the experience without exhausting myself.

And, I promise, it won’t all be tough going. Yes, some of it is, by its very nature, challenging and difficult to share, but I also intend to make a lot of jokes. I figure if you can’t laugh at the share absurdity of some of the things I’ve had to deal with, what else can you do?

I hope you’ll stick around.