Before I started getting really sick, I was lucky enough to serve as a teaching assistant and student teacher in an elementary/middle school for two years. That period of my life sometimes feels like a strange detour from what I started doing after college and what I've done off and on for the past four… Continue reading Lesson 10: Treat yourself like a child
When I fully recover from what ails me, I will credit at least 10% of my recovery to Japanese pop music. J-pop is the aggressively upbeat artificial sweetener of the music world. I was in college the first time I heard it, and there was something about it that stuck with me. You know, like candy.… Continue reading Lesson 9: Whatever it Takes
I don't know whether I'm an introvert, an extrovert, an introverted extrovert, or an extroverted introvert. I've taken those online quizzes before. They haven't helped. I do know this: being around people is necessary for me. Sometimes it's difficult, sometimes it's wonderful, and sometimes it's both of those things. Before I started getting sick, all… Continue reading Lesson 7: Be with People
Remember when you were little, and learning how to tie your shoes was a big deal? Or writing your name? Or riding a bike? Or drinking from a grown-up cup? Maybe you've had children and you remember the small achievements that seemed so big to them—and to you. I have a habit of glossing over… Continue reading Lesson 6: Celebrate Small Victories
I've looked for answers to my mystery illness in doctor's offices, in books, and—big surprise here—on the internet. Sometimes I discover something helpful, but most of the time I'm left with more questions than answers. The most helpful approach has been trial and error, or a much looser and less rigorous version of the scientific… Continue reading Lesson 5: Experiment
Today I woke up with a headache, feeling slightly groggy. By mid-morning, I felt a little better. In the afternoon, I was tired and foggy in the head, but I couldn't seem to nap. My limbs started tingling, which happens from time to time. That went away before dinner. Now I'm feeling decent. Everything changes.… Continue reading Lesson 4: Everything Changes
I find it difficult to write about pain because: a) I'm not a Buddhist teacher with decades of experience and accumulated wisdom b) it feels like such an intangible thing to me that I almost don't know how to put it into words and, c) pain sucks. I'll give it a shot, though. Life is… Continue reading Lesson 3: Pain Happens
This is the first of thirty lessons I've learned from my chronic illness. Thirty is an arbitrary number—I've probably learned more than thirty things over the past few years as a result of having an unrelenting mystery illness. Or maybe I've learned far fewer than that, and by day 14 I'll have to start making… Continue reading Lesson 1: The Best Day to Start is Today
You've heard the story before: someone goes through a serious illness or accident, returns to health, and their entire outlook on the world has changed for the better. They consider it a blessing in disguise and they no longer take their life for granted. They may even consider themselves better off than they were before… Continue reading 30 Days of Life Lessons from Chronic Illness
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