Millie Hardy-Sims

Joined September 2017

52 stories

Stories (52)

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Laziness
There is a voice in my head that does not have multiple sclerosis. It remembers who I was before. It remembers the pace I used to keep, the hours I used to work, the way I could move through a day without calculating the cost. It compares that version of me to who I am now and draws the wrong conclusion.
By Millie Hardy-Simsabout a month ago in Motivation
Chronic Illness Math
Before I say yes, I calculate. The calculation happens automatically now, quietly and constantly, running in the background of every decision. It does not look like numbers on paper. It does not follow predictable formulas. It exists entirely inside my body.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
“It’s Just a Cold”
A cold is supposed to be ordinary. It is supposed to be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and temporary. It arrives, disrupts life briefly, and then disappears without consequence. It exists as a shared experience, something almost everyone understands and moves through without fear.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
When the System Makes You Doubt Yourself
There is a particular kind of harm that comes from being told, in official language, that your reality is not quite real enough.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
Disabled, Not Difficult
There is a moment that happens quietly, almost invisibly. It appears in hesitation. In the pause before asking for a chair. In the careful calculation before explaining why I cannot stand for long, why I need to leave early, why I cannot simply push through.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
Exhausted and Awake
Fatigue and sleep should be opposites. Fatigue should lead to sleep. Sleep should restore energy. The body should follow a simple, logical cycle: exhaustion followed by rest, rest followed by recovery.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
The Price of Enjoyment
Enjoyment used to be effortless. It existed without preparation, without calculation, without consequence. Saying yes to plans did not require negotiation with my body. Leaving the house did not require strategy. Fun existed in the moment, untouched by what might come afterward.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
Over and Over Again
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with fatigue. It does not come from walking too far or standing too long. It does not come from neurological depletion or physical strain. It comes from explanation.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
Betrayal
There was a time when I never thought about my body. It existed quietly in the background of my life, carrying me from place to place without resistance or negotiation. Walking, standing, planning, committing — none of it required thought. My body was reliable. It was neutral. It was mine, and I trusted it completely.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
Invisibility
There was a time when hiding felt easier. Before the walking stick. Before the Blue Badge. Before the quiet, irreversible shift in how I moved through the world. My disability existed in a space that could be concealed. I could choose when to mention it, when to acknowledge it, when to allow it to exist publicly.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
“Just”
It is a small word. Four letters. One syllable. Easy to say. Easy to dismiss. Easy to hide inside. Just. On its own, it sounds harmless. It sounds soft. It sounds like reassurance. It sounds like comfort.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation
What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis is often described as an invisible illness. The phrase sounds simple, almost gentle, as though invisibility softens its impact. The reality is far more complex.
By Millie Hardy-Sims2 months ago in Motivation