After a bitter cold week, it was a wonderful break to visit the Worcester Art Museum’s annual Flora in Winter show this weekend. Timing could not have been better, and the floral artworks, as well as the museum’s art collection, gave me a boost. I hope some of my favorites here brighten your day, too.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Hello Evelyn…please forgive me for reaching out to you as you have probably already answered these questions elsewhere, I just simply haven’t found them. I am wondering if you can work full time or are you on disability. I am on disability as I have many of the issues associated with the disease also, but my biggest problem is also chronic digital ulcers ( resulting in two lengthy hospital stays for Infection and amputation on a few toes) anyway I find working in most capacities is painful to my somewhat deformed hands and the residual pain from the previous ulcers etc.. I too am college educated, and have written a book ( mostly by talk to text software) anyway…..have you had to deal with this issue. I miss working….
Any ideas?
Hi Deanna,
Thanks for your question. No, I am not on disability. I work for myself. Ten years ago, when I was laid off from my job, I spent about 6 months looking for work and then realized I would be much happier and healthier starting my own consulting practice. It takes a lot of persistence and tolerance for uncertainty, and cash flow is not always predictable, but I prefer this to working for someone else. It really helps to be able to set my own hours. See https://www.herwitzassociates.com/.
I fully empathize with your struggle with chronic ulcers and infections, and know exactly what you mean about sensitive, deformed hands. I’m sorry to hear of your hospitalizations and amputations. I, too, had partial amputations of several fingers a couple of years ago.
I find the Apple “chiclets” keyboard essential to my ability to type. I used Dragon software when my hands fell apart a couple of years ago, but I prefer typing, because I can write faster that way.
My best advice is to take stock of what you can do, and what you love to do and care about most, and craft work around that. With the internet, there is so much opportunity to be a creative solo entrepreneur. Be realistic about your energy and managing pain, and factor that in, but don’t let it stop you from experimenting to find the right fit. I hope this helps!
Best of luck, and be well,
Evelyn
Thanks for posting so many photos from “Flora in Winter,” Evie. I enjoyed this show again this year, and enjoyed re-visiting it with your photos, but oh darn! You didn’t pick any of my favorites! Mine were the arrangements for the Scholar’s Stone, the Madonna of Humility, and the Saint Sebastian. Really liked the ones you picked, too, of course. Second from the top, especially–I forget the name of the painting, but I thought the floral arrangement met an interesting challenge in responding to an abstract, and edgy, work.
It was a beautiful show, as always.
So lovely. Thank you for taking the time to post.
You are most welcome! 🙂