I don't suppose I had intended for The Salty Soul to primarily become a blog about living with chronic illness and disability when I started it, but due to a declining baseline, it inevitably weaves its way into every part of my day-to-day and I guess that is where the journey is taking me for now. So, if you are still here reading, then thank you.

May has truly been a blessed month for good weather, and whilst the heat has been unbearable at times, there have also been some beautiful days with sunshine and a cool breeze. Now it is no surprise that I am more of a winter beach person; I’d rather be the only person as far as the eye can see, wrapped up in endless layers and lashed with salty winds and icy rain than be overheating, burning and overwhelmed on an overcrowded beach any day. One of the reasons I love the beach, is the peaceful feeling it brings me – sweaty summer sensory overload is not for me. Don’t get me wrong, the cold of winter can hurt my body to the bones, but then I can go home and warm up.

I do love the sunshine, just not excessive heat so for me the shoulder seasons are the best, but I can find some peace near the water in the hotter months by being out on a boat. I was blessed to be well enough to enjoy an afternoon out on the water this month. It was such a relaxing experience, only a few like minded people and the open water. We were also very fortunate to be able to see seals hauled out and resting, beautiful and peaceful, it was almost a meditative experience and I could have stayed for hours just watching them.

As we reach the end of May, my 40th birthday passed me by as peacefully as I could have wished for. I read something that really resonated with me. If we are fortunate to live to the age of eighty, then we are half way through that time by the time we reach our forties. Whilst this is quite daunting to consider, what I had never considered and what filled me with greater relief than I thought it would, is that the next forty are our own. We have no childhood to live through, no school system, no adolescence to navigate. We get to enjoy the next chapters, exclusively at our own pace and whilst most of us will not feel like we have everything together at any particular age (especially with a chronic illness or disability), the wisdom that age brings us can bring with it, some clarity and peace. So it is time to embrace my inner seal, it seems.