May 10Your 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...
Apr 26Down With the SicknessWe’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...
Apr 5I Take My ChancesYou’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....
Mar 29I'm AliveIt’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...
Mar 22HelloYesterday I was listening to a podcast about why blogging is important for your speaking career. (Yip, I’m that awesome. I wasn’t out...
Mar 14Time Marches OnI 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...
Feb 28Hold On III 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...
Feb 17Hold OnQ: 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...
Feb 2I Want to Hold Your HandI 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...
Jan 11Goodbye Yellow Brick RoadI 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...
Jan 3Don't Stop Thinking About TomorrowIt’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...
Dec 29, 2021One 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...
Dec 20, 2021I'll Be Home for ChristmasI 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...
Dec 9, 2021Crocodile RockI’ve been in serious contemplation about whether I’m going through a midlife crisis, with my wearing navy blazers and high waisted,...
Dec 7, 2021It's a Big Ol' Goofy WorldWhile growing up, the “worst” thing to happen at home was Dad going grocery shopping. No matter what, no matter the season, Dad came back...
Nov 16, 2021The 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...
Nov 5, 2021I Want to Break FreeI 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...
Nov 5, 2021The 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...
Oct 18, 2021Carry OnWhen 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...
Oct 18, 2021Don'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...
Oct 4, 2021ThunderstruckI 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...
Sep 22, 2021You Can't Always Get What You WantWhen I was little, around third or fourth grade, I desperately wanted Reebok pump shoes. Imagine a black high top, with a little orange...
Sep 8, 2021One 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,...
Aug 24, 2021100 YearsI 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...
Aug 3, 2021Tiny DancerYou 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...
Jul 11, 2021Man in the Mirror“For this week’s WordPromptWednesday, write about the reflection in the mirror being different than reality.” I read that and chuckled,...
Jun 23, 2021That'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...
May 26, 2021Change"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...
May 20, 2021The 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...
May 4, 2021Why Pt. 2I 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,...
Apr 15, 2021Skyline PigeonMy counselor recently asked me to start a gratefulness journal – to write down daily thankful thoughts. But since my diagnosis and...
Apr 7, 2021Masters of WarYou 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...
Mar 3, 2021Here Comes The SunI read an opinion this morning in the New York Times, about how nurses are being overworked to serious degrees. Covid has strained these...
Feb 13, 2021Enter Sandman“Everything is worse at night. Everything.” Said my mother to me yesterday, after I had a particularly awful night, which led to an...
Jan 21, 2021Fire 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...
Dec 31, 2020Better DaysWhile I was in the psychiatric ward, and could still write a little, I wrote: “BETTER DAYS AHEAD.” It was more me trying to convince...
Nov 24, 2020Kind 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...
Nov 6, 2020Fight Song #MaskUpThis 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...
Oct 22, 2020The RisingEveryone has an idea and a way for me. I’ve accepted that’s just part of living with a monumental illness.
Oct 4, 2020Good 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.
Sep 6, 2020Learning to FlyEverything about autoimmune encephalitis scares the bee jeebies out of me. It’s horrible to face your own mortality, but also eye opening.
Aug 27, 2020Eleanor RigbyAs my health improved, I became less fixated on life’s uncertainty, but I remain lonely.
Aug 4, 2020Teacher I Need YouFiguring out how to educate our children and keep them safe, is a big part of our new daily routine.
Jun 15, 2020The dancePlease take away from this piece that I have some thoughts about coping with grief, not that I read old lady magazines.
May 30, 2020Precious LoveIn my new weird encephalitis world, there are two types of people: patients and carers.
May 25, 2020I'm Still StandingAs painful as it is, I’m now a card carrying member of the “Encephalitis Club.”