Now that we have rung in this New Year and flipped double digits to enter into this new decade, we need more. We should desire something to make us stand out from the crowd as it is too easy to vanish into obscurity if we do not evolve. This affliction called multiple sclerosis should not define our lives but be a mere side note to the long list of who we indeed are. Every year we should grab Continue reading
We all want a “new me” in 2020. Most MSers got a lump of coal from Santa when it came to MS. Fear not. We are warriors. Everyday for us is new.
Instead of making big New Year’s resolutions that are too big and often ridiculous, make small attainable ones. Do stuff you can do. Don’t try stuff you know you can’t do. New Year’s is daily for us.
Say it with me, “small.” I often Continue reading
I’m turning 50 this year, and I’m excited. I have genuinely been looking forward to it for years. No exaggeration.
Approaching the half century mark is a big deal. Anyone who lives to age 50 will have experienced many joys and challenges. I think acknowledging the wonderful and terrible things we’ve enjoyed and endured in our lives is a worthwhile assignment. (See my post on My Life List.)
Family relationships are hard. I look back at decades of immediate and extended family holiday gatherings, and I notice what has changed and what seems like a given. Long-held disconnects or resentments lie beneath the surface and feel ready to erupt at any moment.
Consider as mere mortals, it’s rare to be perfect in these moments. I’ve left family gatherings spending huge amounts of time thinking about Continue reading
Another MS enemy can be dealing with holiday traditions and family. Keep some, ditch some, and create some. MS is a big nasty gift. Pick through the mess for things you like.
When our kids were young, matching Christmas Eve PJs were a must. News flash, teens boys don’t like that. I still Continue reading
I am a ridiculously nice man. I know this. Until… The following is a true story.
My Google Home device: *ding* I have a reminder for Scott
Me: Hey, Google, what’s up?
My Google Home: I have a reminder called you have a doctor’s appointment in 4 days.
Me: thank you, Google.
My Google Home: thank you for thanking me. I guess we are in a thanks loop…
I think I broke my Google home device.
I believe that the key to happiness is genuinely twofold. First, you must Continue reading
It’s the morning of my MRI scan and neurologist appointments. Leading up to them, I’ve anticipated needing to seek support and to allow myself time to process whatever I learn today. I tell myself that test results don’t change how I’m doing. They just give me more information to consider.
The rub is that I anticipate being sad with any possibility today. I feel worse than I did earlier this year. Eight months ago, I learned Continue reading
Wow, hard to be thankful when MS is a greedy robber. MS has taken so much from us MS folks. The line of…”it could be worse” is never, ever to cross anyone’s lips.
That being said, it is important to find things daily to be thankful for. No matter how small. From those who are in pain and bedridden to the newly diagnosed. Bedridden folks might be thankful for sheets. Others might be thankful for being able to still walk.
Find anything. There are days when Continue reading
Mental wellness? Wait. When given my MS diagnosis years ago, all talk centered around the physical side. No one mentioned anything about the mental challenges of MS.
For this reason, I renege my contract with multiple sclerosis! (Wish it was that easy, right?)
Fact is, in my experience, mental wellness is WAY harder to manage. I have AFO’s to help with foot drop. A rollator to Continue reading
In true keeping with not quickly remembering the lessons I’ve already learned, it took me a few months of building frustration before seeing a situation I’m experiencing as something I could approach differently.
I volunteer for our local self-help group, and increasing work and personal health demands are making it harder for me to continue doing everything I’ve done for the past six years. I’d asked for volunteers to help. Some stepped forward and I appreciated their help, but still I felt responsible for more than I can continue.
I was getting frustrated, and resentment was building. I was getting Continue reading
