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  • May 10, 2019
How blogging can benefit you and your business. Plus suggestions for getting started in blogging!

How Blogging Can Benefit Your Business (and your life!)

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  • February 25, 2019

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  • thejennagreen

    Jenna (she/her) 🧡MS Advocate
    White friends, did you know the #MLKDay is the onl White friends, did you know the #MLKDay is the only national holiday dedicated to being of service to others?

I think the very LEAST we can do today is to educate ourselves on MLK’s true legacy, read this article, read “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” and support a Black creator or Black business owner today. ❤️

#Repost thank you  blackandembodied for this series of images with @make_repost
・・・
We will keep speaking truth, and will not let Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy be white washed. Tell the whole story and not just the narrative that makes you feel warm and cozy inside! This article was written by Kaitlin Byrd for NBC ✊🏽

#nowhitewashingMLK 

#checkyourprivilege #showup #dothework #bethechange #unlearnandrelearn #unlearning #supportblackownedbusinesses #silenceisviolence
    Damn, I LOOK wicked laid back in this picture.⁣ Damn, I LOOK wicked laid back in this picture.⁣
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I mean I was in the moment, but in general.... I am not particularly patient. Ok, not true, because I have patience for people I love, even for random strangers, and I rarely get stressed in traffic lol. ⁣
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But as my therapist pointed out (again) last week... I have very little patience for 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.⁣
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I had my most recent MS flare up in October, after having just moved out of my house of 8 years and separated from my husband of nine... while being immune compromised during a pandemic and all that's going on in the world. 😬⁣
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So of course, the flare wasn't a big surprise, but I WANT to be 'back to baseline' already dammit. I want Dixie to be well adjusted to our new life already ( I swear she may be having a harder time then I am, my poor baby 🐶). I rarely get frustrated with her...but my abilities (or lack of focus, pain, bladder control etc.) fuck I find them frustratingly. And yet, I know consciously that have been doing very well all things considered. 🤷‍♀️⁣
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So if patience with yourself isn't a virtue you posses, I want you to know you aren't alone. 🐢 And if you have some tips for developing patience, PLEASE share them with me. ⁣
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I love mindset strategies and I practice improving mine daily, but maybe we can hold each other accountable for giving ourselves grace and patience during times of crisis and trauma? 🧡⁣
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#thisisms #mswarrior #butyoudontlooksick #sicknotugly #griefprocess #divorcejourney #dogmomlife #anxiousdog #patience #lackofpatience #mindsetmatters #personalgrowth #selfgrowth #accountability #grace #chronicillness #invisibleillness #msadvocate ⁣
#disability
    Oh man... this memory. January 2020. In some ways, Oh man... this memory. January 2020. In some ways, I gotta be careful what I wish for 🤦🏻‍♀️ zoom meetings with pajama bottoms ARE the new standard. And after this @bostonbusinesswomen fab pj party I said every party should be in pjs 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

And  as someone who knows first hand how life can change in an instant, my mind is still grappling with how different our world is now vs. one year ago!!!! 

Regardless, I’m super #grateful for fun memories and silly selfies from when I could actually be in the same room with my friends ❤️❤️❤️

And I am learning that it’s ok to grieve these small losses like parties with friends even when there are so many other huge losses to grieve. 

Your feelings are valid. 😘
    Reflecting on the past five years since my Multipl Reflecting on the past five years since my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis made me realize, I have survived a whole lot of shit. ⁣
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100% of my bad days, to be cliché.⁣
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Days I cried on my kitchen floor for hours. Hospital days. Doctor appts. Emotional and physical pain I thought I'd never live through. Needles, so many freaking needles. ⁣
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And yet here I am 💪⁣
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For the first time (ever?!), I don't have a clear plan for the year ahead. For myself or for my business. I haven't done my vision board yet. Hell, I haven't even taken down the Chrismakkuh decorations. 🎄⁣
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But I'm learning to be okay with that too, because I am damn good at figuring out whatever's thrown at me. ⁣
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Am I the only one that hasn't done a damn thing about the decorations?! I should probably get on that...🤷‍♀️😂⁣
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#mantraband #wordsofwisdom #wordstoliveby #survivor #mswarrior #thisisms #multiplesclerosis #disabled #disability #chronicillness #spoonie #spoonielife #personalgrowth #planner #flashbackfriday #dystonia #msawareness #restiscritical #selfcare
    𝗬𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗬𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 5 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗦 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆. ⁣
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I wish I had some wise words or some inspiring shit to say here, but I really don't. 🤷‍♀️😂⁣
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If you're newly diagnosed, I'll tell you my answers to these commonly asked questions (and feel free to ask me more too):⁣
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🧡Yes, Multiple Sclerosis has changed my life drastically in the past five years. It impacts my life every day and in multiple ways. ⁣
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🧡No, I never thought my life would look like this pre-diagnosis (or even early into my diagnosis). I've had 5 relapses in five years despite fighting and advocating for myself to be on the 'statistically most effective' disease modifying therapies. Some people have 0. But who can predict the future anyway?! 🔮⁣
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🧡Yes, I've tried all the yoga, diets, eyeroll inducing suggestions too (some I do think help me, some don't). Everyone is different. 🤷‍♀️ MS is a bitch.⁣
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🧡And the one I haven't said publicly yet: No, MS is not the reason I am getting divorced. Did it help my marriage? Hell no, but my husband and I tried our best to make our relationship work for over 9 years and life is far too complicated to blame one 'thing' on it not working out. ⁣
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🧡Yes, the list of things that MS has taken from me is freaking long. But ya know what? The list of things it has GIVEN me is also pretty long. And that is an 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 side effect. ⁣
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MS has connected me with YOU, this amazing community that I am #grateful for beyond words. The friend's I've made #BecauseMS are truly some of the very best people I've ever had the privilege to know🧡 ⁣
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PS:fellow #MSwarrior @KJartlife painted this gorgeous canvas that I will one day hang on my wall lol⁣
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MS has helped me to appreciate the little joys in life. MS has taught me to be my own best #advocate and has made me want to help change the whole damn world 🌏 Gotta have dreams, right? ⁣
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𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ✨
    The first picture was my visit to the Capitol with The first picture was my visit to the Capitol with the @mssociety on March 4, 2020. The second picture is from one week ago.

If you grew up in white middle class America and learned in history class that Columbus was a guy we celebrated and our country was a generally safe and good place where hard work was rewarded and bad guys went to jail (despite all of the violence and horror in our history) etc you’re probably still dealing with some level of cognitive dissonance after last weeks attack and coup attempt.

I know I am, even though I’ve spent the last five years educating myself on what America is ACTUALLY like. 

Many of us has said “but this is not our country”. Well, the sad truth is that it IS our country, but we WISH it wasn’t. It’s a lot to process, but we simply do not have time to process it all now. 

We need to impeach Trump and hold everyone involved in this terrorist attack accountable before we can even begin to start moving forward toward unity. 

➡️If this isn’t what you want your country to look like then I hope you’ll call, email, tweet, your representatives and urge them to hold everyone accountable for this horrifying and illegal display of white supremacy. 

After that, there will still be a lot of work to do, but I have to hold on to hope that we can one day actually be the country we were led to believe we lived in as kids. 🇺🇸
    My illness is invisible. My pain is invisible. My My illness is invisible.
My pain is invisible.
My depression and anxiety are invisible.
My fatigue is invisible.
My cognitive disfunction is invisible.
My muscle spasms are (mostly) invisible.
Yet...

𝗜 𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘.

As my fellow advocates @myelinmelanin inspire and remind me that I will NOT apologize for: taking up space, being disabled and proud, speaking up for equality, action, and change, or for making you uncomfortable. Nope, I'm not sorry. 

My disease is invisible, my struggle is invisible. But my strength is not. 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. 

#thisisms #multiplesclerosis #myelinmelanin #checkyourprivilege #speakup #dothework #chroncipain #multiplesclerosisawareness #butyoudontlooksick #sicknotugly #iamnotinvisible #msaactivist #msadvocate #advocate #spoonie #bethechange #showup #chronicallyill #truth #disabled #disability #disabilityadvocate #disabledandproud
#invisibleillness #chronicillness #makeadifference
    There will be pain either way. The pain of growth There will be pain either way.

The pain of growth, especially in the past five years, has resulted in tears, lost relationships, owning up to my past mistakes, forgiving myself, and much more.

But the pain of growth isn’t filled with the suffering that happens when you’re staying the same. That type of pain, for me, is too much to bear.

Life is about change. 🌱Are you ready to grow with it?

#mantraband #wordstoliveby #wordstoinspire #growthmindset #personalgrowth #selfgrowth #loveandlight #mindsetiseverything #mindfulliving #mindfulnesspractice #chronicillness #spoonie #bethechange #dothework #showup #checkyourprivilege
    If you’re just now waking up to the horror that If you’re just now waking up to the horror that is systemic racism, white supremacy, bias policy, and the history of violence that makes up our country.... hi.

Don’t spend another minute questioning it, because it couldn’t have been more clear that all of these things exist then when our president insighted a coup in our national Capitol building and the police help them inside (and even escort them by hand down the stairs).

Yes, the Capitol building is heavily guarded with tons of check points and armed guards. These photos were taken just 10 months ago right before everything shut down for the pandemic. There is NO possible way the terrorists  didn’t have police assistance yesterday. And yes, if you realize that not the highest elected officials in our nation are not  safe... we are all not safe. And if you’re new here that is extremely unsettling. 

I know you want to hide from this horror because it’s all too much. I get it, really I do. But denial and complicity by white people  like you and I is exactly how we have allowed this horror to continue. ➡️Call your representatives, hold them accountable for what actions they did or did not take.⬅️

Educate and align yourself with and learn from organizations dedicated to creating a more EQUITABLE world.

There’s no time life for processing the horror of your white privileged glass house shattering (I know, it’s hard): we need action. Today.

I’ll tag accounts that have provided valuable information on how we can help and please feel free to add to them.

Sending you all love and strength; we sure as hell need it 🧡🧡🧡

#throwbackthursday #thisisamerica #capitolhill #advocate #advocacy #msactivist #checkyourprivilege #showup #dothework #bethechange #thisisms #butyoudontlooksick
    I do my best to share authentically about my life, I do my best to share authentically about my life, but I’ve never been terribly good at taking photos “in the moment.”

In fact, When I feel like taking pictures I usually take more than one, and I generally  schedule my Instagram posts (social media marketing manager habit!).

However, @thesparkledlife inspired me to take some pictures today of “every day life” and the not so cute or inspiring parts of Chronic Illness. So here are some pics of Dixie and I in my bed... as I write this from bed 😂 #BedIsMyHappyPlace

Dixie hasn’t been feeling well; the vet is treating her for stomach ulcers (and I am praying that is all it is, but will get an ultrasound to rule out anything else) so it’s been a rough few days for both of us. 

She’s cute, but the past few days haven’t been cute at all for me. 🐶🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes, it’s kinda ironic that I’ve been having stomach issues for a year and yet my procedures have been postponed due to the pandemic, and my dog is getting excellent care ... but if you’re a #DogMom like me you know I always put her first anyway, right?! 🥰🥰🥰
    New year, new cane.✨⁣ ⁣ Wait, is that not ho New year, new cane.✨⁣
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Wait, is that not how the saying goes?! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. A girl needs cute accessories and I legit can't believe I went this long with only one cane option (I don't need it daily so that's probably why I was able to restrain my shopping habit a bit 😂).⁣
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It's pink and sparkly so it needs a sassy fun name to match! ⁣
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Any ideas?! 🤔⁣
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PS. If you come at me with any New Year, New You cleanses or 'you are not enough' type BS along those lines I will now have two pretty canes I can choose from to smack you with. #SorryNotSorry ⁣
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#differentaidsfordifferentdays #babeswithmobilityaids #fashionablecanes #affiliate #pinkcane #pinkaccessories #pinkaddict #pinkglitter #thisisms #butyoudontlooksick #invisibleillness #sicknotugly #disabledandcute #disability #chronicillness #mswarrior #dystonia #sassyaf⁣
#spoonielife #chronicpain #bostonblogger #winterstyle
    Will you choose the light or the dark? ✨ #bethe Will you choose the light or the dark? ✨

#bethelight #lighttheworld #lightuptheworld
    I'm more than ready to turn my back on 2020.✌⁣ I'm more than ready to turn my back on 2020.✌⁣
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I'm ready to leave behind the guilt, the feeling's of 'not enough-ness', the victim mindset, the hurt and the pain of this past year.⁣
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Truthfully, I'm also ready to leave behind a lot of the grief I've been processing over the past year... and yet I know realistically that the grieving process doesn't simply stop because we want it to. 2020 was awful for the world, and my personal heartbreak from loss and divorce is a drop in the bucket of tears of grief from this year. 💔⁣
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The hurt that disabled people and marginalized communities have felt over our/their lifetimes and especially during this pandemic won't end simply because it's a New Year either.😷⁣
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Our work as advocates, as people working to make the world better, more accessible, safer, and healthier is 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. ⁣
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I'm committing to leaving behind what doesn't serve me in my work to help our chronic illness community, but I know that work  isn't as simple as turning a page either. I'll continue to do the work internally and I'll be as outspoken as ever, and I hope you will too.❤⁣
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 What are your hopes for the New Year? ⁣
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#advocate #msactivist #msadvocate #thisisms #spoonie #disabled #disability #disabledandproud #chronicillness #butyoudontlooksick #invisibleillness #stayhomestaysafe #maskon #bethechange #showup #fuck2020 #divorce #griefjourney #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #newyear2021
    If you're feeling full of anxiety, sadness, or any If you're feeling full of anxiety, sadness, or any other 'tough' emotions as we all recap 2020 and look towards a New Year... Dixie and I want you to know that you're not alone. ❤🐶⁣
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This year was a fuckin shit show in countless ways, and while I love seeing the happy/positive things that happened this year... I'm still feeling a bit. Meh. Sad? Anxious? Grief? Ick? Exhausted? All of the above, tbd on the moment. ⁣
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As I said earlier this week, I'm not making a vision board or working on a 'word of the year' like I usually do this week.. I'm focusing on 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.✨⁣
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The good is coming. And it's okay if you're not feeling thrilled about it all just yet. ❤⁣
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#picassojasper #affiliate #believeinyourself #breathe #wordsofwisdom #wordstoliveby #personalgrowth #dogmomlife #lovingyou #2020recaps #fuck2020 #emotional #anxietyanddepression #youarenotalone #yourfeelingsarevalid #mindsetmatters #align #restiscritical #goodthingsareahead
    “Honey, when I'm above the trees⁣ I see this f “Honey, when I'm above the trees⁣
I see this for what it is⁣
But now I'm right down in it⁣
All the years I've given⁣
Is just shit we're dividing up⁣
Showed you all of my hiding spots⁣
I was dancing when the music stopped⁣
And in the disbelief⁣
I can't face reinvention⁣
I haven't met the new me yet”⁣
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@taylorswift⁣
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✨You haven’t met the new me yet, but I can promise she’ll be full of happiness ✨⁣
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#taylorswift #happiness #grief #griefjourney #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #findjoy #breakupsongs #growing #divorce #divorcerecovery #divorceprocess #butyoudontlooksick
    I am giving myself 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 through gr I am giving myself 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 through growth and discomfort.⁣
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Giving myself grace is something that I've struggled with for years, but I have made great progress on the practice of grace this year (not making excuses, but also allowing myself space/time etc.). ⁣
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Life with chronic illness is especially hard, there is a LOT of change, discomfort, full on pain, and opportunities for growth too. 🌱We deserve to give ourselves thee grace we so easily allow the loved ones in our life, don't we?! ⁣
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This is a mantra/affirmation that I find manageable (and I repeat it often to remind myself!) so I hope you find it helpful too?? ❤⁣
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#mantramonday #affirmation ⁣
#dailyaffirmations #positiveaffirmations #mindfulness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #selflove #loveyourself #mantra #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #chronicillness #grace #giveyourselfgrace #growth #spoonie #mswarrior #invisibleillness #mindsetmatters
    “Most of the things we need to be most fully ali “Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.”⁣
-Mark Buchanan⁣
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This has been such a hard lesson for me to learn (yes, my body has told me countless times), but I’m finally getting to the point where I prioritize rest so I can then continue to grow. 🌱Rest is the theme for me  this week. ⁣
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Vision boards. Cleaning and organizing. Planning. Can all wait. (Ok I won’t be living in filth but you know what I mean).⁣
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What are your plans for this week?⁣
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#thisisms #butyoudontlooksick #mightyMask #mightywell #rest #taketimetorest #personalgrowth #selfgrowth #socialstrategsquad #selfcareiscritical #selfcaresunday #resting #bostonblogger #winterfashion #wordsodwisom  #spoonielife #bostonbusinesswomen⁣ #slowdown
    Dixie and I want to wish all of our friends celebr Dixie and I want to wish all of our friends celebrating a gentle, joyful, and safe Christmas ❤️🎄

How are you spending the day?

I am so grateful to be able to spend today with my immediate family ( and grateful they are able and willing to quarantine ). It‘a very different then years past but I’m enjoying what we have today ❤️

Cheers to only 7 days left in 2020 🎉🥂

#christmastime #christmas2020 #bostonblogger #thisisms #dogmomlife #crazydogmom #gratefulaf #griefjourney #grinchmas #fuck2020 #grieving #divorcehealing #divorcerecovery #lovemydog #pinkchristmas #thisiswhatdisabilitylookslike #butyoudontlooksick #invisibleillness #findjoy
    If the holiday season feels heavy to you, you’re If the holiday season feels heavy to you, you’re not alone. 💔

Grief is fucking weird. Sometimes a memory like these #throwbacks make me smile and sometimes the tears start to flow 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I’ve realized this year more than ever that I tend to look at the past with “rose colored glasses”, which I always thought was a good thing, because why remember the bad stuff?! But lately, my brain has twisted my memories including events and people I didn’t even enjoy into happy occasions that I miss. 🤦🏻‍♀️Wtf?!

Maybe it’s the “pandemic effect” where you start missing grocery shopping and being near other humans even if you hated that? Missing parties, friends, and family. 

Or grieving the first holiday season without my grandpa? 

Maybe it’s because it’s the first Christmas since my husband and I started the divorce process? 

Maybe it’s all of those things. Who knows. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for the past, even if it wasn’t that great, you’re definitely not alone.❤️

I am trying to practice being present in the moment and feeling grateful for what they are, even if it’s different then we hoped for. 🎄

“The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.” 

Wishing you all a mindful, safe, and joyful holiday 😘
    This may be my favorite 2020 analogy so far 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ fruitcake is weird and no one asked for it.

It’s also a great analogy for racism, bias, and all the hard shitty things that BIPOC have to face daily even though they never asked for it.

Yes, I know it’s Christmas Eve, but addressing your internal bias, systemic racism, and the major issues in our world don’t take a holiday break.

In fact, if you’re talking to family and friends why not call out your crappy racist uncle when he says something offensive?!

The only upside of covid is that you can (probably) hang up on him after instead of having to wake up and see his lame face in the morning! 🤷🏻‍♀️

P.C. @letterfolk
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