“‘I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,’ said Pooh.
‘There, there,’ said Piglet. ‘I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.’” —Winnie-the-Pooh

Do you ever have times where you’ve lost any sense of who you are, or what you’re supposed to do?

I felt like that last week. As you already know, I write these blogs to find the positive in an otherwise challenging situation, to celebrate what I can do and turn away from what I can’t. On the good days of course.

Last week I had to attend an assessment for eligibility for PIP (personal independence payment). As I spent an hour talking about the things I found physically challenging, I felt as though so much of what I stand (ha!) for was being stripped away. My husband told the assessor about what I used to be able to do. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about that. I felt the assessor’s eyes on me as I walked out of the office, and the pressure to show her my weakness. It was a truly disheartening, humiliating experience.

This, right here, is more who I am than the person I had to portray in that horrible interview. This is my tea and honey. You all are my Piglet. I don’t want to focus on what I can’t do. The negativity of that robs me of any thing to live for.

Don’t let someone or something take away your sense of the wonderful person you are.

Watching Seven Worlds, One planet last week, I saw an albatross chick struggle to climb back into its nest because if he’s not in there, his parent will not recognise him. As he struggled to climb back in, I recognised the battle we all face: to convince people of who we are, to fight to be recognised. I did not recognise myself in that cold interview. I’m finding myself again now.

So, thank-you.