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    Livin' on a Prayer
    • 2 days ago

    Livin' on a Prayer

    Leave it to me to bring out a twenty-year-old t-shirt to wear on the second day of the trip. I’ve always been one to find the hilarity in...
    Amazing Grace
    • Jul 18

    Amazing Grace

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one. After I sat for the second day of the bar on a sunny July day in 2009, I walked through the parking lot...
    Dog Days Are Over
    • Jun 29

    Dog Days Are Over

    If FUBR’s been around since WWII, I can imagine that “shit happens” was a thing long before I remember it being such a hit in the movie...
    Beautiful Day
    • Jun 15

    Beautiful Day

    I know I cursed God along the recovery way. I absolutely did. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is what you do to me?” But the only time I really...
    I Can See Clearly Now
    • May 26

    I Can See Clearly Now

    May 26, 2022 Dear May 26, 2018-Jackie: Today is one of the worst days you’ve lived through in your life, but you’ll hardly remember it....
    Your Song
    • May 10

    Your Song

    “Life always kind of works out,” said my counselor to me a while back. I so badly wanted to argue, and say, Notta. But it really got me...
    Down With the Sickness
    • Apr 26

    Down With the Sickness

    We’ve all heard the saying, “That’s about as fun as a colonoscopy.” Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it, but I’m going...
    I Take My Chances
    • Apr 5

    I Take My Chances

    You’ll recall I’ve turned to high waisted pants these days. I don’t move as quickly as I used to. And I’m starting to embarrass my kids....
    I'm Alive
    • Mar 29

    I'm Alive

    It’s hard to know where to begin in my relationship with her, but I think this story is best. She doesn’t live too far from me, and...
    Hello
    • Mar 22

    Hello

    Yesterday I was listening to a podcast about why blogging is important for your speaking career. (Yip, I’m that awesome. I wasn’t out...
    Time Marches On
    • Mar 14

    Time Marches On

    I have no idea when, but once when I was younger, I asked my dad why we had to change time during the year. He told me very matter of...
    Hold On II
    • Feb 28

    Hold On II

    I penned the “Hold On” blog over a month ago. I write blogs in real time, but don’t always post them that quickly. I finally published it...
    Hold On
    • Feb 17

    Hold On

    Q: What do you do for a living? A: I’m a professional patient. Truly. That’s why I do with a lot of my days. I go to the doctor. Q: Do...
    I Want to Hold Your Hand
    • Feb 2

    I Want to Hold Your Hand

    I am a very social person. Truly, one of the most social people I know. In law school, I became close with someone who was the shyest...
    Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    • Jan 11

    Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

    I couldn’t quit staring out the window. I just sat there and kept blankly looking. But I was smiling. For sure on the outside and...
    Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow
    • Jan 3

    Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

    It’s New Year’s Eve Day, and I’m doing what others around the world are doing – pondering where I will party tonight. Yeah right, in my...
    One Headlight
    • Dec 29, 2021

    One Headlight

    “That’s a big deal and you’re incredibly stupid for standing in the middle of a dark road,” she said as she laughed hard and flashed me a...
    I'll Be Home for Christmas
    • Dec 20, 2021

    I'll Be Home for Christmas

    I often wonder what it would be like to go back in time and watch myself as a kid. As my kids grow, I’ve become obsessed with asking my...
    Crocodile Rock
    • Dec 9, 2021

    Crocodile Rock

    I’ve been in serious contemplation about whether I’m going through a midlife crisis, with my wearing navy blazers and high waisted,...
    It's a Big Ol' Goofy World
    • Dec 7, 2021

    It's a Big Ol' Goofy World

    While growing up, the “worst” thing to happen at home was Dad going grocery shopping. No matter what, no matter the season, Dad came back...
    The House That Built Me (Part II)
    • Nov 16, 2021

    The House That Built Me (Part II)

    “You know they say, you can’t go home again. But I just want to come back one last time.” As my brain had already checked me out of life...
    I Want to Break Free
    • Nov 5, 2021

    I Want to Break Free

    I found this NYT’s video opinion piece to be very thought provoking. I encourage you to watch it to think about what “quitting” means to...
    The House That Built Me (Part I)
    • Nov 5, 2021

    The House That Built Me (Part I)

    I want my book to first and foremost help people who are diagnosed with AE. I also want my book to have broad appeal and hopefully be...
    Carry On
    • Oct 18, 2021

    Carry On

    When I wake, the first thing I do is decide that I’m still really tired (stupid AE aftermath). The second thing I do is walk straight to...
    Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
    • Oct 18, 2021

    Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)

    I’ll never forget the day I met her, in the dorm hallway. Trish is a bit (a really super duper) of a closer talker (and I love her for...
    Thunderstruck
    • Oct 4, 2021

    Thunderstruck

    I will never do that. I’d be the only person in history to get one and then get Lyme disease, or worms. I’m sure I’d die from it. Me for...
    You Can't Always Get What You Want
    • Sep 22, 2021

    You Can't Always Get What You Want

    When I was little, around third or fourth grade, I desperately wanted Reebok pump shoes. Imagine a black high top, with a little orange...
    One Toke Over the Line
    • Sep 8, 2021

    One Toke Over the Line

    “Jackie, that’s how I know you’re healing. That’s how I see true inner peace coming from you.” My counselor told me that the other day,...
    100 Years
    • Aug 24, 2021

    100 Years

    I watch about 3 movies every 10 years. But one of my absolute favorites is Lonesome Dove. Though 6 hours long, I used to watch it every...
    Tiny Dancer
    • Aug 3, 2021

    Tiny Dancer

    You never think it will be you. But then suddenly, it’s you. Sorry about that. Sorry it’s you. My cousin sent me an Insta video on this...
    Man in the Mirror
    • Jul 11, 2021

    Man in the Mirror

    “For this week’s WordPromptWednesday, write about the reflection in the mirror being different than reality.” I read that and chuckled,...
    That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel Inside
    • Jun 23, 2021

    That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel Inside

    “Be thankful for stumbles, they prevent falls.” I saw that on a church’s marquee at the corner of a busy street. It was the day after it...
    Change
    • May 26, 2021

    Change

    "If you knew that you would die today If you saw the face of God and love Would you change?" I’ve spent the better part of three years...
    The Times They Are A-Changin'
    • May 20, 2021

    The Times They Are A-Changin'

    To keep or not to keep? To do or not to do? Stay right here in this place or go somewhere new? My life feels like a Jeopardy board. But I...
    Why Pt. 2
    • May 4, 2021

    Why Pt. 2

    I once heard Hunter Pinke say that he doesn’t ask, “Why me?” rather he asks, “Why not me?” (If you don’t know Hunter’s story, Google him,...
    Skyline Pigeon
    • Apr 15, 2021

    Skyline Pigeon

    My counselor recently asked me to start a gratefulness journal – to write down daily thankful thoughts. But since my diagnosis and...
    Masters of War
    • Apr 7, 2021

    Masters of War

    You came onto me so fast. Like a sick lover. But, we were never meant to be. Me and you. You’ve been away for years now. Yet, you linger...
    Here Comes The Sun
    • Mar 3, 2021

    Here Comes The Sun

    I read an opinion this morning in the New York Times, about how nurses are being overworked to serious degrees. Covid has strained these...
    Enter Sandman
    • Feb 13, 2021

    Enter Sandman

    “Everything is worse at night. Everything.” Said my mother to me yesterday, after I had a particularly awful night, which led to an...
    Fire and Rain
    • Jan 21, 2021

    Fire and Rain

    “Princesses, they’re just like us.” My friend Christina once commented that on Facebook, under a picture of Princess Kate. You know, the...
    Better Days
    • Dec 31, 2020

    Better Days

    While I was in the psychiatric ward, and could still write a little, I wrote: “BETTER DAYS AHEAD.” It was more me trying to convince...
    Kind and Generous
    • Nov 24, 2020

    Kind and Generous

    *The turkey artwork is courtesy of my Kindergarten son.* When I was in college, the United States was involved in conflict in the Middle...
    Fight Song #MaskUp
    • Nov 6, 2020

    Fight Song #MaskUp

    This photo of me was taken at the Mayo Clinic, on November 6, 2018. It was at the height of the dark days of my recovery from autoimmune...
    The Rising
    • Oct 22, 2020

    The Rising

    Everyone has an idea and a way for me. I’ve accepted that’s just part of living with a monumental illness.
    Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
    • Oct 4, 2020

    Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

    My newfound time and perspective on life have given me all sorts of nostalgia. Feelings of longing for the past.
    Learning to Fly
    • Sep 6, 2020

    Learning to Fly

    Everything about autoimmune encephalitis scares the bee jeebies out of me. It’s horrible to face your own mortality, but also eye opening.
    Eleanor Rigby
    • Aug 27, 2020

    Eleanor Rigby

    As my health improved, I became less fixated on life’s uncertainty, but I remain lonely.
    Teacher I Need You
    • Aug 4, 2020

    Teacher I Need You

    Figuring out how to educate our children and keep them safe, is a big part of our new daily routine.
    Tomorrow is Today
    • Jul 12, 2020

    Tomorrow is Today

    After all, drinking cold coffee may be guaranteed, but tomorrow isn’t.
    The dance
    • Jun 15, 2020

    The dance

    Please take away from this piece that I have some thoughts about coping with grief, not that I read old lady magazines.
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