The Weather is Nice & I’m Feeling Good, How’re You?
Content Note: Chronic illness, disability, emotional overwhelm, survival language. Gentle encouragement and grounding included.
Welcome to The Crippled Cryptid
Disability. Chronic illness. Service dogs. Survival without the performance.
If you’re new here, hi. I’m Sky.
Professional cryptid. Unwilling amateur cyborg.
Occasional advocate, writer, and creator.
Medically complex enough to make my chart a jump scare.
I cope with sarcasm, snacks, and building something honest in a world that really prefers things to be tidy and inspirational.
And sometimes… there’s coffee.
Most days are lived in a haunted meat suit with a questionable warranty and a long-standing feud with my nervous system.
But Thursdays are quieter.
What This Space Is (And Isn’t)
This isn’t a rant.
This isn’t a report.
This is a check-in.
With me.
With you.
With the Den.
Because this space was never meant to be one-sided.
It’s a place to exist together. To talk. To be seen without performing wellness. Without pretending things are okay when they aren’t.
No inspiration porn.
No forced positivity.
No gold stars for suffering silently.
Just honesty.
A place where you get to be fully yourself, without editing it down into something more palatable.
You don’t have to hide here.
The Creatures Who Keep Me Here
I spend a lot of time in Bed Jail™, but I’m rarely alone.
There’s Luna.
My medical alert service dog.
Guardian. Enforcer. Service Dingo™.
Professional “hey, something’s wrong, sit down before you make it worse” supervisor.
She keeps me grounded.
And, occasionally, reminds me that rest is not optional no matter how convincing my arguments are.
Then there’s M&M.
My Player 2. My soft place to land.
The one who checks in on me the same way I’m trying to check in on you.
The one who makes sure I eat, drink water, and don’t quietly push past my limits just because I can.
She’s currently in bed with an upset stomach, which means your cryptid is absolutely planning something sweet and slightly over the top to make her feel better later.
(Not that I should.)
But stubbornness is one of my more… well-worn traits.
And that’s not something I want you to inherit from me.
That instinct. The “I have to do this alone” wiring.
It kept me alive once.
It’s not what keeps me well now.
Even old cryptids can learn new tricks.
I promise.
The Actual Check-In
Alright.
No dodging.
No “I’m fine, but—” escape hatches.
If it doesn’t work for me, it doesn’t work for you either. Sorry, guys, ghouls, and everyone in between.
How are you doing… really?
You’re allowed to be honest here.
You are not a burden for having feelings.
You are not “too much” for existing in a hard body or a hard life.
Take a breath with me for a second.
In for four.
Hold.
Out for six.
Again, if you need it.
Unclench your jaw.
Drop your shoulders.
Get a sip of water.
I’ll be right here.
So will Luna.
Where I’m At
Honestly?
I thought I was going to have a very different answer when I sat down to write this.
But I think… I’m doing alright today.
Less “hanging on by a thread”
and more
“this is actually a good day.”
We finally turned the heat off in the house.
Part of me is still side-eyeing the weather like it’s False Spring: The Sequel, but I think this might actually be the real thing.
The tulips are blooming.
The bushes came back to life when I wasn’t looking.
The maple tree is starting to leaf out again.
Dandelions everywhere.
And little yellow finches taking over the deck like they pay rent. (they don’t but, I love them.)
I’m sitting here in shorts, drinking my coffee, and it feels almost unreal.
And I’m letting that count.
Because it does.
We don’t have to be okay all the time to be allowed to experience something good.
For You, Wherever You’re At
If this week is kicking your ass, I see you.
If you’re barely holding it together, that still counts as holding it together.
If things are heavy, you don’t have to carry it alone here.
And if things are good?
You’re allowed to say that too.
You don’t have to shrink it to make it more acceptable.
There is room for all of it.
If you don’t have the words today, that’s okay.
You still showed up.
And that matters more than people give it credit for.
🐾 Luna’s Official Warm Weather Rating
🐾 Interrupting this broadcast is Luna Bean, who would like it known that:
Warm weather?
10/10. No notes.
More outside time.
More deck time.
More laying in the sun like a little solar-powered cryptid assistant.
She’s been making her rounds. Supervising the yard. Monitoring the birds (very suspicious). Soaking up the sunshine like it’s part of her job description.
And honestly?
I think it kind of is.
There’s something about watching her stretch out in the sun, completely content, that makes it easier to believe that rest isn’t something I have to earn.
Sometimes it’s just… allowed.
🐾 End of report. She has returned to her post (the warmest spot on the deck).
The Door Is Open
If you want to talk, my DMs are open.
No pressure. No expectations.
Just… open.
Even if you just send a pawprint emoji, I’ll know you don’t want to talk necessarily, and you just need some extra pictures and videos of Luna being her silly self to brighten your week.
Go find a patch of sunlight if you can.
Luna says it helps.
I hope the rest of your week is kinder to you than the beginning was.
I’m really glad you’re here.
I mean that.
Love you.
Yeah, I said it first. Your turn.
-Sky
© The Crippled Cryptid
Disability. Honesty. A little chaos.
(But softer today.)
🔗 https://linktr.ee/skylanarissa
There’s never pressure to donate. Reading, sharing, or simply being here is more than enough.
If you’d like to support the long, slow work of staying alive, stable, and building this space:
💜 https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-skys-journey-to-health-and-mobility
Leave a comment