The drawing for this piece was made in between my first and second surgeries to manage my endometriosis. During this time I was in a lot of pain and felt very isolated due to my inability to keep moving and going on with my life as I wanted. I ended up getting diagnosed with stage IV deep infiltrating endometriosis after 19 years of slowly worsening symptoms. I made it through my days without many people knowing how I was really feeling, but I would frequently not have much energy after completing the must do things for the day.

I am privileged to live in a beautiful rural area along the Crawfish river, I don't have to go very far to be surrounded by nature. A step into the garage and I could see the toads that find shelter there during the hot summer months, laying on the couch I could watch birds that most people don't get to see on a daily basis, and a slow walk or sitting outside gave me time to take in all the small plants and mushrooms that I may not have noticed had I been going full speed ahead. I am so grateful for carrying me through what was a very difficult time in my life.