Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #30, where we are pleased to welcome Tessa Jane Miles as our guest!   Our Coffee Break series is your chance to get to know members of our diverse OMS community. In each episode, you’ll join Geoff Allix for an intimate chat with a different member of our global community. Our guests will share their personal stories and talk about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   As always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Tessa Jane will paint your day in colors galore discussing how she uses art to raise awareness about MS. We hope you enjoy this episode’s conversation with her, coming to you straight from Devon in the UK.   Tessa Jane’s Bio (in her own words):   My name is Tessa Jane, and I am an artist. My best days are the ones when I forget I have MS. My body tingles with the joy nature bestows – the birdsong, the warm light, or fresh wind on my face. I have an inner glow of happiness and capturing that and applying it to paper, cloth, or any surface continues that delight, taking me to a world of imagination and beauty. It’s a release. I don’t focus on fear or anxiety.    My body is clear of pain, words trip off my tongue elegantly. I can balance and am full of energy. I have clear, present thoughts which spur me on, and I am happy. The only trembling or shaking is because of excitement and laughter. My body is light, and spirit lifted.    Following the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) program has brought me more of these days. Learning to be mindful, present, and to meditate has reduced stress and lightened a heavy heart. I do not sit cross-legged, humming. I walk amongst trees, or around my garden. I float in water, or I draw and create. Gardening, writing, sewing, and knitting are all mindful activities which help to reduce stress and lower life’s adrenaline. I watch and listen to birds, taste my food, and listen to the rhythms of the day.    I look for small joys on the bad days. A steaming coffee cup. The light on a golden leaf. Or frost patterns on a car roof. A warm fire or a bowl of tasty soup.   Being part of OMS and belonging to an OMS Circle is a comfort blanket. They have become my family and will help shoulder the weight, give good advice, and make me laugh about the detritus that living with multiple sclerosis brings. My walks, creativity, and time in nature is my mindfulness. I’d like to encourage you to find your ways of being present. I’ve pledged to raise £10,000 for 10 years. I can’t do it alone but can with help and support from friends and family. Not all of us can run, but many can write, whittle, knit, sew, crochet, or paint. Join my 10 for 10 campaign and get in touch to find out how (see links below).   Questions:   Tessa Jane, welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break. We’re so pleased to have you on our program. The purpose of this series is to better get to know some of the diverse members of our community from around the world, and today you’re in the hot seat. You and I are neighbors in Devon, and part of the same OMS Circle, so a very special welcome indeed! Can you tell us a little about your day-to-day life? When were you diagnosed with MS? Can you provide some context on that? When were you diagnosed and how did you initially deal with it? At which point did you come across the OMS program? How was that experience for you? Why did you decide to start following it? How do you feel the OMS program connects with people of varying abilities? For example, how might someone who faces more physical challenges relate to the program? Can you share any insights from obstacles you may have faced in adopting the OMS program, how you overcame them, and how this experience might help others? Let’s shift gears a little bit and talk about your art. Can you tell us a little bit about your backgrou