When someone asks how I am in passing, I know the script: “I’m fine. How are you?” Sure, the question and response are meant to be pleasantries in our polite society, but since my husband has ALS, some days the question feels weighty. It stirs smoldering emotions, reigniting the…
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” –Mike Tyson The author Lee Child includes that quote in his Jack Reacher crime novel series as part of the title character’s mantra. Reacher always endeavors to strike the first blow. The…
Recently, I noticed a surprising side effect from just a few weeks of following the stay-at-home guidelines: I’ve been talking less. A whole lot less. And to be honest, on some days, my conversations were limited to “yes” and “no” answers. That worried me. Because I’ve worked hard to prevent…
The other morning, I woke up to find a note on my husband’s wheelchair cushion: “Buttercup, please cook the sausage. Love, Todd.” He was reminding me of the bratwurst I had pulled out of the freezer a couple days before. His arms haven’t worked in years because he has ALS,…
“The mind ought sometimes to be diverted that it may return to better thinking.” –Phaedrus (Plato) During these surreal times that shake us to our core, a mindless diversion is welcome: Have you heard the one about the three professional killers who walked…
I’m an avid trend-watcher and enjoy tracking how new phrases and products end up permanently woven into our daily lives. For example, only a few months ago, a mention of flattening the curve or social distancing would cause most folks to shrug their shoulders. Now, both phrases have become rallying…
Since my husband was diagnosed with ALS a decade ago, we’ve adapted to this difficult life in ways I never would have expected. After leaving rural Michigan for college in Chicago, and then living in Milwaukee, I didn’t think I would end up living in a handicap-accessible house across the…
The ancient Greeks first introduced the term “parrhesia,” meaning “free speech,” around the end of the fifth century B.C. From a literal perspective, ALS has taught me that the concept is a misnomer. Like nearly everything else, there is…
What an emotional roller-coaster time we’re in right now! During this COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve felt the upswings of coping and adapting well, followed by the downswings of worry that this crisis would never end. Only when I took a step back, to reflect on my feelings and identify what…
When someone asked my husband how he is doing in light of COVID-19, Todd replied, “Our life isn’t that much different. Now everyone else is dealing with what we have been living with for years.” There are similarities between life during this pandemic and life with ALS. 1. We already…
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