Okay, it's story time. One day last week, I re-shared someone's Facebook post of a lake in Glacier National Park (check out the photo--is that jaw-dropping, or what?).

But whatever, no big deal, right? We do this all the time. However, because it's Glacier Park, and my mom practically lives there in the summer, I asked her which lake it was. Because she's the kind of mom who would know.

Her response sent me into a free fall down Memory Lane -- and as anyone with chronic illness knows, Memory Lane can be a minefield of lost hopes & surrendered dreams.

This particular jaunt took me to a lovely summer's day in about 2010 which I'd nearly forgotten about: the whole family is gathered for a reunion in Glacier, everyone's going on a short, easy hike to one of Mom's favorite lakes, and I'm in the car, uncontrollably sobbing with heartbreak & despair because I'm too freaking sick to join them. My head is gripped in migraine pain, my heart is pounding from the exertion of just listening to people talk, and breathing is hard work.

In that moment, I didn't believe I'd ever get better. Believing and hoping I could recover took more work than I had energy for. @@Hope had become a luxury.@@

It was a couple more years before I found the solution to my chronic nightmare. And it ended up requiring I change a lot of things about the way I view the world, and myself. I was lucky to find great guides and healers along the way, cuz as much as I'm an "I can do it myself" kind of girl, this is one thing I couldn't do alone. And I wouldn't have wanted to. There's enough isolation with chronic illness.

So here's the deal: there are times that asking for and receiving help are what's needed to start turning the tide with these kinds of conditions. If that's where you are, contact me. I've been there. I've done the research. I know what works, and what doesn't. Don't do this alone. Give yourself this one break, and reach out for help.

My dream is that nobody has to sit in their version of that 4Runner, sobbing because they don't have the energy to join their nieces & nephews on a 2-mile hike. There is a way out of this. Let's find the one that works for you.

With love,

~K