Whispers in The Silence
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. The winter has morphed into a warm, lush spring, with deep pink cherry blossoms dancing alongside the white petals of the Dogwood. We are speeding towards summer at an alarming rate, as if the world is spinning a little faster. The birds sing to me every morning…
Talk Over RA: How to Travel with RA
#Ad: The Place Dauphine is illuminated with bright pink blossoms. People stroll along the cobblestones, sit on benches beneath the trees and listen to the dulcet sounds of a piano filling the perfumed air with jazz. I sip champagne at an outdoor café with a book of poetry by Charles Beaudelaire in my hands. This…
Arthritis Awareness Month: Talk Over RA 2025
The summer flew by in a beautiful collage of shows, travel, festivals, and morning swims beneath a big summer sky. For most of the summer, RA did not take centre stage, although it sent little reminders now and then, a twinge in the joint, a flush of lava to the surface, as though it would…
The Ebb and Flow: Remission and Rheumatoid Arthritis
The transition between seasons is usually the most active time for my disease. The rain forest climate where I live is subject to sudden shifts in pressure and changes in the weather. Yet despite the constant swing in the weather, my RA seems to have descended into some sort of semi-hibernation. It hasn’t made its presence known as much. Have I found the magic blend of medication and lifestyle? Has something changed in my body?
The Blue Hour
The waves push against the shore in the caul of a misty morning. A foghorn moans in the distance. The wind whispers through the leaves, a soft underscore to the low sensual caw of a raven in the distance and the rattle of a kingfisher just before he dives down to the water. It is…
Talk Over RA: How To Keep Hearing The Music
#Ad: The music swells in a crescendo as I leap into the arms of my danseur. He lowers me gently on the point of my toe, supporting my weight as we turn in a slow circle and then dip down like a swan. The spotlight follows as I travel across the stage towards the wings…
Talk Over RA: Little Movements, Big Changes
You will have good days and bad days. That’s just the nature of the disease. So how do we stay motivated? Remember that motivation is driven by intention. If you intend to exercise, you have already taken the first step. I talk about intention a lot in my writing work. If I intend to go to my desk, that’s the first step – the second step is sitting down at the desk. We build a little bit at a time. But if all you can do on any given day is have the intention, then celebrate that – you’ve taken the first step.
Mermaid Days Are Back: Get Into The Swim with RA
I love summer. Something shifts in my body when summer overtakes an unsettled spring, like a new source of energy that bubbles up from the ground. My joints are quiet, there’s no more hint of the storms of inflammation brewing in them. I barely notice the gentle ripples of my disease as I move through the tepid waters of the pool.
Before and After RA : Celebrating Life
Everything we did in life before chronic illness is always with us – so let’s not bury those achievements and moments. Let’s embrace them, make them a vibrant organism that exists inside us, that will give us the strength and courage to move forward and find a unique way to keep those aspects that we used to define ourselves with alive.
If You Like What You See
Some people have inquired if there’s a place to donate on my blog. This is for those who would like to offer extra support for my work and I thank you for this.
A bigger thank you to all my readers who offer ongoing support simply by stopping by for a visit. I enjoy writing and interacting with you.
About me
J.G. Chayko is a writer, actress, and international arthritis advocate who’s been involved in theatre for more than 30 years and has published poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.