You may understand that you need to ration your energy, but what about the people who look at you askance when you take a seat on the bus, judge you for not running up the stairs, don't understand when you have to cancel plans? Here, too, spoons are a marvelous tool. Sit down with your friend or family member, have a cup of tea or a glass of wine, give them a handful of spoons and as you take them through a day of living with RA, you take spoon after spoon away from them. The understanding is instant and it sticks (and if it isn't, consider spending less time with that person). Explaining how pain and fatigue sucks the zip out of your day and limits your options can be nearly impossible just using words, but with something as simple as a spoon, you can bridge the gap and help others understand.

Take care of yourself. Don't spend all your spoons in one place.

You can read more of Lene's writing on The Seated View.