Bio

So, I recently joined BlogHer and was in the process of typing my bio when the writing fairy suddenly took over and I ended up with a rather long bio. But what I typed was real and from the heart and so I thought I'd post it here too:

This is me:

I am a 25 year old graphic design student with, thankfully, only one year left before I graduate and can resume normal adult life. I became a hairstylist right out of high school but discovered soon after that I have a disease called rheumatoid arthritis. After struggling with intense chronic pain and a combination of different medications for four years I decided I could no longer continue my lifestyle.

I decided to go back to school full time and moved back into my dad's house so I could afford to do so. That was almost three years ago and even though the times have been tumultuous, I'm glad I did it. My goal is in sight and as a wonderful bonus, I get to go to Italy this summer with my school's study abroad program.

I no longer have to deal with the intense pain that once plagued me from standing all day and even though I still have some health problems and am living at home, I know I'm much healthier and happier. Often when I tell people about my disease, I get this "poor thing, but youre so young" bit. I know people are just trying to be nice but I still hate it. My view is this: no, I don't want to have this disease BUT it has made me grow up really quickly and has also made me appreciate life and what's been given to me a lot more.

I came to the realization that every person on the face of this planet has a set of problems they have to deal with. Some have it worse than others, obviously. But we all struggle. The best that you can do I suppose it to take joy in as many of the little moments as possible because inevitably, you're going to have a load of shit dropped on you somewhere down the road. I know that sounds pessimistic, but really I think it's just realistic. Life is a long string of stuggles and in between those struggles are moments of happiness and bliss. If you don't relish those moments (some of which are big, some small) you won't be prepared for the next thing life tosses your way.

The wonderful thing about us human beings though, is that even though it is in our nature to struggle against... well...almost everything (if you don't believe me just open up a history book), it's usually not those struggles we remember. We recall the good times; the laughter, the fun, the moments of pure bliss and ecstacy. We remember the graduations and the weddings more than we remember all the work, planning, and drama led up to those events.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though I have crap to deal with (we all do) I've found a way to deal and am overall pretty happy. I continue to pursue my goals and take pleasure in life and look forward to finding someone who I can share all of that with. So, while this may be a bit long for a bio, these words embody my view of the world and even though there is a lot more to me, this view shapes how I live and is therefore, quite effective as my "biography".