I used to think salt is just salt, NaCl. Then I learned that sea salt was better. Well, there is more. Now I know kosher salt is much better for baking than sea salt. In America, kosher salt is made by Morton and by Diamond Crystal. However, Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is a crystal that is less dense and flakier than Morton’s and so is less salty. Bakers prefer Diamond Crystal and recommend using less if you use Morton’s.

There is always something better. Like using unsalted butter for baking. And there is always something new. Something previously unknown. Like homemade creme fraiche. I suppose those are two of the little pleasures in life. To learn and to discover. Pleasures that renew often over a lifetime.

Distraction is a pleasure when we have a chronic disease. It is relief. A need. A gift that is different for each of us. We always want to be distracted from our disease. But because rheumatoid arthritis changes a lot, it is relentless in its persistence to stay front and center in our lives.

We may be happily living, injecting our biologic medication, feeling like we have found the answer. Wondering what all the fuss is about. Then our medication stops working. Or we develop a nasty infection. Or our lungs start to act up. Maybe our heart.  I could go on and on. Let’s just stop at where the medication stops working and our body’s inflammation comes roaring to life. We are back to square one. Pain. Swelling. Fatigue. Now our chronic disease is dead center again. We now know what the fuss was all about.

A change like this is scary. There is upheaval in our daily life and the future is uncertain. It is like starting over. Being a newly diagnosed patient. It is important to see your rheumatologist. She will have extensive experience with RA change.  She will know what to do to help. She will know the next step.  

RA change may not be frequent for some. The RA biologics have made life better for many. But there is that group of us where the state of our RA changes frequently. We have relentless pain. We develop infections. Cancer. We become disabled. That is our lot.

So, we keep working for a better life, better health. Our lives are full of uncertainty. Sometimes we are scared. Sometimes we cry. In spite of it all we can stop. We can find pleasure. Amazing enough, it is in the simple distractions.  It is the little things that make our lives worth living.