Spring Delights

Because the chronic-illness life is not just doom and gloom

Yvonne Kaisinger

Jun 03, 2024

The photo shows a selfie of the author, a white woman with short brown hair, in the elevator. She is wearing a long grey dress with a blue shirt, glasses, and carries a backpack. — I left the house, at night!!! Is this how people do this? I can’t remember anymore…

Dearest reader,

thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter!

And: HAPPY PRIDE!

There has been an ebb and flow of insomnia over the last few weeks. Nonetheless, as the days continue to get warmer and longer, I wanted to dedicate a post to some delightful moments from the past few months. Because even though many of the topics I have been writing about are on the heavier side, there were also moments of joy; a bouquet of glimmers, if you will 💐✨

A Bouquet of Glimmers

NB: This collection of glimmers and sparkles is arranged as I remember the various moments; there is no hierarchy here.

Glimmer: a micro moment of joy, awe, hope, safety; opposite of trigger

My first strawberry

Do things even really happen these days unless you took a picture? Well, I did not take a picture of the first, tiny strawberry I plucked on my balcony this year. You’ll just have to believe me when I tell you that the bean-sized red berry seductress was delectable 🍓

Musical Gem

I discovered this particular musical gem thanks to

Amanda Montell

’s Substack newsletter “Magical Overthinkers”:

Vienna Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad)

During his visit to Vienna, I met up with my younger brother and his family as they were exploring the “Wiener Prater” with my young niece. While I didn’t go on any of the rides, it was lovely to spend the morning together in this historical amusement park.

The photo shows a selfie of the author, a white woman with short brown hair and glasses. She is standing in front of the famous ferris wheel in Vienna, The sky is blue and a few white clouds are visible in the background. — Let the good times roll…lol 😂

365 Days of Learning Swedish

An Unexpected Night Out: Alok Vaid-Menon in Vienna

Evening plans are something I have not had, or always had to cancel, for the better part of the last year. However, I recently said yes to an opportunity that fell in my lap out of the blue, even though it involved a nightly outing!

An acquaintance on Instagram had posted that they had an extra ticket to see the fabulous gender non-conforming writer and artist Alok Vaid-Menon’s (second, late) show in Vienna that night. I saw this during a bout of insomnia, and after giving it plenty of thought, I reasoned that since I would not be able to sleep anyway, I might as well take advantage of this coincidence. (I had initially wanted to get a ticket for the earlier show, completely missed the start of the ticket sale, they sold out quickly, and I did not see myself attending an event that started at 21:30!) I dm’ed, the ticket was mine, and out I went that evening.

To make the whole night as easy on myself as possible, I did everything I could ahead of time so I would just have to fall into bed upon returning home, like brushing my teeth, etc.

And it was magical. The show was phenomenal and uncomfortable in the best possible way (for a mostly white audience; hello Austria!). I laughed more than I had in a long time, and while there was anxiety about being in a movie theater filled with people (only some of who wore masks), wearing my own mask and bringing a portable air filter helped. I am so glad I embraced this last-minute opportunity.

The upside was, too, that by the time I was home around midnight, the temperature had dropped which allowed me to sleep in a cooler room, and the late bed time led to me sleeping better than the previous nights.

Beautiful Window

I’ve been trying to pay close attention to moments of beauty in my life and routines and came across this beautiful window in the building where my neurologist has their office.

The photo shows a stained glass window. The design is simple with some green glass and yellow, but it looks beautiful.

Coffee Shop and People Watching

It is rare these days that I find pleasure in going to a coffee house to simply enjoy a delicious beverage, read, and people watch (due to lack of energy, too many symptoms, warm and humid weather, etc.). So I was extra grateful when I found myself well enough on my way home from an appointment with my neurologist (and encountering the above window) to stop by a favorite coffee shop (remember, I’ve been here before many months ago with a friend and wrote about it in “Women Talking”).

It was also in the morning, which means that I treated myself to a coffee (can’t do caffeine after lunch), or rather a flat white with pistachio milk (!) and piece of chocolatey goodness, aka banana bread. I sat outside enjoying my drink and sweet treat, reading Joan Didion’s non-fictional South and West, and just being present. I wore my favorite dress, the temperature was just right, I was not in a hurry.

The photo shows a table at an outdoor space of a coffee shop. There's a cup of coffee, a piece of cake, a glass of water, sunglasses, and a copy of Joan Didion's book South and West on the table. — A precious moment

People on nearby tables or public benches were working, reading, lounging in the sun. Everyone’s mood seemed elevated thanks to the warm and sunny (but not hot) day. As I read a several page long monologue by a southern acquaintance in Didion’s book, I had to smirk because I had also been sitting next to a pair of middle-aged men and one of them delivered a monologue that had nothing to do with their topic of conversation. He was name-dropping plenty, though. Decades had passed between the two scenes and yet they were eerily similar.

On the way home, I picked up fresh strawberries at a market and revelled in these unexpected glimmers.