Category: Checking in with Michele’s Life and Status
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Change Your Mindset to Change Your View of Movement
“I am not an exerciser. I am not an exerciser. The gym smells of sweat and the soles of heated up tennis shoes.” My train of thoughts ran over and over for all the reason why I never exercised. But I can walk, I can stretch, and I can do yoga. The self-efficacy behind supporting…
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Stayin’ in Bed Today…Nope!
Some days if I wake up and still feel tired and the fatigue weighs me down, I consider staying in bed for just a half an hour longer. I try to do so; honestly I have tried. Then, my metacognition kicks in, and I think: “If I stay in bed today, what about tomorrow and…
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How I Know I Am “Adjusting” to my MS Diagnosis
When I had my annual check up, my neurologist noted that it appears that I am adjusting quite well to my MS diagnosis. My first thought was “Really?” Some days, it does not feel like it. I initially had a steep learning curve, and still some times I feel very impacted by my low energy…
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Kids Just Want to Know
I walk between 10 and 12 miles a day in my neighborhood. This is a great time for reflection, planning, and reenergizing myself. Recently, I took a fall and had to live for two-weeks with two very black eyes. Now, I have returned to walking with either one or two poles depending on my strength…
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What? You have a disabled parking placard?
Recently, I received a comment about having a disabled parking placard. Maybe this is because I walked that day, outwardly presented myself as healthy, and was engagedin the activities of the day. Clearly, the person commenting knows little about the unpredictability of MS, how we prefer not to use the placard, and how getting around…
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Doing the Wenatchee Walk for MS
Saturday, May 13, 2023 was the MS Walk in Wenatchee, WA. What a glorious day it was! The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was blue. The walk took place in an absolutely gorgeous park, Walla Walla State Park. The Wenatchee walk is a relaxed and low-key event. It is more conversational, and walkers…
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Why MS is like Dancing in the Dark
MS is an incurable and unpredicatable disease. From one day to the next, I have no idea if my body will allow me to do the things I want to do with ease or with a fight to do the minimal. Truly, some days, it is mind over matter. I liken MS with dancing in…
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What does it mean to do a MS Walk?
Pulling together a team to support the local MS Walk takes some planning: design a sweat shirt, get invites out, ask people to learn about MS, request sign ups and donations, and figuring out how to gather and get to the walk. Is it worth the effort? Absolutely? You see the support of the local…
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Walking for Change
The MS Walk in Seattle happens in the fourth week of April, and it is a community event to raise money for MS research. In 2022, a couple of friends joined me in this event, the first event such as this that I’ve actively participated in. Oh what fun it was! Why do I walk?…
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Today You Might Not See My Disability
Multiple Sclerosis(MS) is an unpredictable neurological disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. MS impacts the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, which make up the central nervous system(CNS) and controls everything I try to do. Sometimes this means that I…
MS Fortunate 