The Everyday book club also made it to another one of my reads: My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante. Who would have thought a book about friendship, that was so revered in the media would prove to be so incredibly divisive?
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Twelve years after the pain started it turned out that I had a hiatal hernia, which is basically when your stomach bulges back against your oesophagus. Your oesophagus has a small opening that should close off to stop food and stomach acid etc to stop it leaking back into your oesophageal tract. Mine wasn’t doing that and my stomach acid was basically burning me.
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Arrogant. Self-absorbed. Superior to others. Unique than others. Lacking in empathy. Manipulative. Patronising. Selfish. Exploitative. Demanding. An excessive need for admiration. These are a few of the traits that Narcissistic individuals display. Even though it may not seem obvious as physical injuries, the consequences of being involved with a narcissist – regardless of whether they’re your partner, parent or family member – can be traumatic.
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A few weeks before the pandemic rooted itself in the UK, I had returned home from Cape Town. I’ve been considering a particularly pressing question: is there a correlation between the aesthetics of wealth and the ability to connect to community in these two Trojan cities?
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At the time of the appointment at the fertility clinic, I felt I had no symptoms of the menopause. My periods were regular; I wasn’t having any hot flashes or night sweats. Although I was experiencing a little breast tenderness and my emotions were quick to change, I hadn’t associated this with the menopause at the time.
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The first time I went to Notting Hill Carnival I was 21, which - as a Londoner - you could say was pretty late in the day. I didn’t really know what to expect; all I knew was that 2007 was the year my friends and I were going to get involved. From that first carnival I was hooked.
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That afternoon we lifted the curtains of our worlds to each other, as we danced around an imaginary fire, embracing our femininity. I could almost hear the music as we slowly circled together, lifting our hips to a silent rhythm, twisting our hands in the air as we moved around the tiny room.
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Just over a year ago and at the age of 22 I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a chronic, criminally under-researched illness which affects an estimated 17 million people globally. As the identity and lifestyle I had no longer complemented my body’s limits, I am now in a process of rediscovering myself and finding love for my body alongside my condition.
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Now, I’m sure the concept of ‘Devil’s Bridge’ will be familiar to you in some shape or form. The tale of Billy Goats Gruff and The Troll Under the Bridge are staples within British folklore, and similar tales are shared within other world folklore such as Spain and Germany: there are even trails of this folklore to be found with Norse mythology too.
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During lockdown I tapped into my inner Mary Berry, and have realised that my baking journey was the symbolic indicator of my lockdown emotions and indeed my emotional kneads. I have experienced the highs of triple layer sponge cakes, the bitterness of lemon blondies, and burnt out feelings after accidentally setting the oven too high. Thankfully, there have been no soggy bottoms during lockdown, in any respect of the phrase.
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“In May 2020 the Epilepsy Society and their supporters were targeted on Twitter with flashing gifs designed to provoke seizures in epileptic people in the ‘worst ever bullying attack on Twitter’ aimed at the Society”
This article carefully explores the realities of living with epilepsy day-to-day, and how understanding its nuances can make society a much safer, and more inclusive, place.
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I was meant to have 5 siblings in total; however my eldest sister died when she was only a baby and my other brother died when he was 7, both from sickle cell disease. Now there are only 4 of us: my two older brothers and my sister. One of my brothers, Matthew, has been surviving with sickle cell ever since he was born: he is in his late 40s now and it has been difficult to watch him experience the enduring pain that goes along with it.
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I want and discuss the do’s of a dating method that 100 years ago would have been ridiculed, eye rolled upon and disbelieved. Dating apps and internet dating has undeniably become the ‘easier’ more accessible option. We now let our index fingers and thumbs decide our fate / next date. Sometimes we accidentally swipe who could be a great match back into cyber space.
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In Romania, the Romani population constitutes one of its largest minorities. I cannot help but realise, while writing this sentence, how eerily similar the words Romanian and Romani are: it’s only 2 letters different, and for most people there is no research that goes into identifying which one is which one.
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Firstly, did you want lemonade in your life? Do you even like it? Doesn't the fizz go out of lemonade too, just like life can go flat? Also, why is there the expectation to make lemonade? Isn't that just an added pressure to the fact that you've been delivered a crate of lemons you didn't order to begin with?
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When I was younger, my brain could spiral into days of intense distress at the simplest of things. Accidentally kicking a pebble on the pavement would invoke an influx of intrusive thoughts, each of them coming with a huge amount of guilt and the certainty that consequences of this small action would be my fault.
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As a black pharmacist it’s quite difficult to dissociate the virus from racism. BIPOC people statistically are dying at a greater rate at the hands of COVID and this is combined with direct negligence.
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My profession also had to move online. I work as a life model; posing nude for art schools, universities and community groups, as well as facilitating my own life drawing class in Bristol, with a collective of life models (United Models Life Drawing).
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My initial reaction, as an introvert, was glee: I was being told that I had to stay inside and work from home, which meant that I was saving money on transport, lunch, and events in the city centre. Plus, I could have more leisure time, something my 2-hour weekday commute did not easily allow. I also rarely get lonely, and I live with my partner anyway so I didn’t see the issue!
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When my Mum innocently pointed out I had little rosebuds, I shrunk into myself as best I could. I was around 13. I spent most of the next few years going about in baggy T shirts and bending myself inwards to try to hide my developing body, I was ashamed and embarrassed.
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