It’s exactly a month since Boxing Day when the muscles in my hands mysteriously went into spasm and seized up.

There’ve been many times over the last 28 days when writing this blog has rescued me from feelings of desperation, when it’s helped me make sense of difficult experiences, and when it’s given me a place to share the practical solutions, support and friendship that’ve made a challenging time manageable.

It’s certainly not been the start to the year I’d imagined. But however difficult it’s been, it’s helped me prioritise my time and focus on the things that are important to me. My tics’ response has been to mark this anniversary with a whole load on the theme of hands:

“Hands, you’re as beautiful as a ladybird in a tutu.”
“Hands, you’re as erratic as a carrier bag in the wind.”
“Hands, you’re as outrageous as a horse in a hat.”
“Hands, you’re as handy as a lamppost in the light.”
“Hands, you’re as strong as the wee of an antelope.”
“Hands, are you worried in case I make you touch a pigeon?”

However the rest of the year pans out I’m confident that creativity, friendship and writing this blog will continue to play an important part in helping me manage and make sense of the ups and downs ahead.