Category: Checking in with Michele’s Life and Status
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Never thought about that before…
Can I open the door to my workspace without a struggle? Will my cell phone work if I get stuck in my office or workspace? Should I drink my water and plan my bathroom breaks? Can I reach the handrail before I have a foot drop? Will others notice my pauses and re-balancing against the…
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This week has been an opportunity for me to reflect on my health
I was thinking that we all know how when we have the flu or a bad chest cold, how we just relish and wait for the illness to go away. We look forward to those days when we can “be ourselves” again. I tried so hard to look at MS like this, so hopeful that…
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What happens when you drop the cooking oil as the guests are ringing the doorbell?
About 3 weeks ago, we invited our dear neighbors over for homemade potstickers and good cheer as we headed into the Lunar New Year. We invited them for lunch at 2 pm. This time is when I am normally curled up in bed taking a nap with my Kindle in hand. I chose the time…
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When Movement is a Challenge, I pause.
Today, I was on campus to attend a meeting of sorts. Just navigating the stairways and hallways was a chore. Handrails are a blessing and as are chairs and benches to take a break. The wobblies, as I call my tremors and numbness in my legs, are fairly common distractions. Yet, on other days my…
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Returning to Work Update
On January 2nd, I returned to the office for two days a week. I must say the first week was awkward as I tried to navigate using a different computer, my office space, a broken coffee pot, and the fact that I had to get moving quicker than normal. I have to be out the door…
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Ch-Ch-Changes and Life goes on…
I have taken a month to try to get my energy directed to my blog. I miss contributing to the larger MS community. However, sometimes, life happens, and others need a hand up, which in my case, uses any available energy I have. Life can change in a heart beat. I have seen this in…
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Community Where You Find It
I am reminded that family and friends move around a lot and are engaged with work and other obligations. In trying to be present, I find that I have worked hard to find those special moments surrounded by neighbors, family, friends, or colleagues from work that define community at its best. This is an action…
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Three New Activities in My Life
As a means to tackle the MS anxieties I have struggled with for the past year and a half years, I have taken on three specific activities: I am seeking go-to activities to help myself. These tend to be actions and not just thoughts. Movement also helps rest when the time comes to do that.
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Disaster in the Washer
Cognitive overload is a reality some days. About a month ago, I was loading the washing machine. I thought this was a meditative activity until I hefted the large liquid laundry soap to pour it into the small soap portal. Oh man, did I pour! The weight of the soap container and my poor muscle…
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Surface Acting Seems Easier than Emotional Openness
I teach college academic writing; one of the topics I covered was the Workplace Culture. In an article that delineated why workplace culture is important, I came across a phrase that I am very familiar with: surface acting. Suface acting is a psychological term for pretending to feel good or inline with one’s peers when…
MS Fortunate 