[Five minute read.] We live in a distracted world. It’s not just ever-present electronic devices randomly buzzing and beeping their streaming commands. It’s not just a wide world of shifting possibility driving our fear of missing out. It’s not just too many choices and decisions, demanding our attention, even though most are unnecessary and…
Continue ReadingA Book and its Cover
[6 minute read] I thought a lot about what to put on the cover of this book. I didn’t want something bland. That doesn’t fit the message or tone. I didn’t want a big picture of myself. That seemed silly and self-important. I don’t have that kind of name (or face) recognition. Besides, this isn’t…
Continue ReadingStill Sticking the Landing
Multiple Sclerosis is a weird condition. It’s different for everyone who has it. Your own condition is even a different experience everyday. I’ve lived with it for a long time now (at least 16 years), and it’s still surprising. It’s also not what most people expect. In the popular consciousness, it’s associated with impaired mobility….
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But You Don’t Look Sick!
Next time you’re in a crowd, look around. Odds are that every second person you see has a chronic diagnosis. And most of us will look like everyone else. You’d never peg us as “sick.” You’d think we were “normal” — and, in fact, we are, in two important ways: First, there are now as…
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Independence!
Today is the day Americans celebrate colonial independence, the beginning of a centuries-long experiment in representative democracy. But our desire for political self-determination stems from a much more basic human need: agency. We need to feel like we have some control over our own lives. But half of us face silent challenges to our independence…
Continue ReadingThe Pause before the Fear
We live in a fearful world. Stop for a minute and think about how you experience “fear.” Remember a time when you were afraid. Maybe you were being attacked by a bloodthirsty, pop culture pirate? Probably not (yeah, that’s me with the sword). I’ve had many of those fearful moments: that little hitch right before…
Continue ReadingDaddy is Sick
I remember the first time my children looked disappointed in me. It’s a look you never want to see. You know that, someday, they’ll figure out you’re just human, but you’re never ready for it when it comes — especially when it happens far too young. It was a hot, summer day. They were badgering…
Continue ReadingRemember Those in Front of Us, Too.
Maybe they spent 6 months in a war zone. Maybe it was six tours. Maybe it was a full career of military service. During the Civil War, 16.5% of Union personnel were killed within the theater of action and 12.7% were injured. Through our 20th Century wars, about 2.7% were killed and 4.7% wounded. Thankfully,…
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People Think I’m Lazy
Oh, I don’t know that for certain. But it’s one of those beliefs people with chronic illness (especially the invisible kind) have to face. “Lazy” is right up there with “needy,” “attention-seeking,” “flakey,” and “liar.” Fatigue is one of the major byproducts of living with most chronic health conditions. The reason is simple: your body…
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Challenges Infographic
Chronic Cow™ was built to solve your problems. Not the ones well-meaning loved ones and healthcare professionals think you’re facing. But the ones you really live that make the difference between a struggle and your life, lived well. We know because we asked — and we live it, too. Chronic Cow delivers training, support, and technology…
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