Why My Invisible Illness Is Like A Swan

In the mist of the giant pond lies a swan. Swans are known for their beauty and peace. They float with elegance around the water standing tall and proud. What you don't see though is what is going on under the surface of the water. In order for the swan to swim and keep up with its flock it has to swim continuously. When you see a swan you don't think about the work that is put into to keep that swan swimming on the water. This invisible work came evident to me and I was able to connect with it at once. This is my animal and I use it to help tell my story.

My invisible illness is like a swan in disguise. A swan appears calm and collected on the outside. It swims around the body of water of choosing with no sign of struggle. Simply content and happy with the life that it is living. 

Like a graceful white swan gliding on the water – from the outside I appear to be a healthy young teenager. What you don't see is the struggle every day to survive and thrive with a body that does not seem to want to do its job. 

I am like a swan underneath the surface of the water, a swan struggling to stay afloat - splashing my feet in an endless circle to stay above the surface, to move forward to eat, to survive, to play, to learn – doing anything I possibly can  - like a swan wanting to be able to join its flock.

A swan is very much like an invisible illness, it stands tall and hides the unknown and the true struggle that the body has. You don't see my body fighting to survive every day, fighting to get nutrition and keep me moving. What you see is the outside of a normal happy and healthy looking teenage girl. 

I try and handle every challenge with the grace of a swan gently gliding on a lake - unaffected by what lurks beneath the dark waters, by the chaos produced by my body. I am a swan swimming to stay afloat hoping to live a normal life in a body that wants to do differently.  I will continue to hold my head up high, I will continue to swim and glide through life like a swan - for I know my flock will never leave me behind.