Pain

As many of you already know, one of the biggest hurdles for me as a writer isn’t motivation, time management, creativity, ideas or the dreaded writers block.

It’s my ulnar nerve.

Years ago, when it first was inflamed, it took me a while to notice. My body was already in pain every day due to another chronic problem I don’t need to go into now, so it took me losing muscular strength in my hand and dropping things repeatedly to realize that my seated posture at my desk was a problem.

Now after a new desk and a new keyboard and years of PT, I am finally able to write consistently on a computer again. During that in between time, I wrote primarily on a tablet with handwriting to text.

I still have pain and I still do PT to manage it.

But that’s the thing about being a Parent who is self-employed and supports their family at the start of a brand new career. I didn’t have the luxury of just not working. Part of what got me through those years was the support of my larger family, as well as the support of the decades of taxes that I paid into our social services. I took my hard earned corporate income, and I banked it with the government so that they could make an interest on it and one day when I was in need, give me a stipend for food and healthcare.

The success I have today is in part because of how my taxes were used to support myself. I was able to get better because I was able to see a doctor. I think everyone deserves the support I received. It doesn’t matter how productive they are or worthy they are or special they are. The only thing that matters to me is that I have paid far more money into the services than I have taken out and I have the right to say those services should be available to everyone.

Now I know you weren’t expecting a post about pain and being a writer to end up being about social responsibility and caring for other people but this is my space to write whatever I want.

What I intend is that every single penny that I put in that a profit was made off of over two decades of working in my ass off before transitioning to be a full-time writer who works her ass off be used to support budding writers and painters and game makers and world changers who just need a little extra support so that they can raise a family while chasing their dreams.

Please forgive any errors I’m not editing this. I’m just dictating it while soaking my shoulder and mineral salts so my ulnar nerve chills out.

That’s all I have to say about pain for now.