Columns

What comes to mind when you think of Labor Day? For some people, it might mean a cookout, a day trip to the lake, or a last, desperate dip in the swimming pool. For me, it conjures up memories of hairspray, big puffy dresses, multiple ringing telephones, video cameras, and…

As a high school senior, I belonged to our school’s coed spirit group. I belted out the cheers at the football games enthusiastically, although my pigskin smarts fit on the head of a pin. An astute observer, I quickly identified “first and 10” as a good thing because of the…

My parents came to visit me last weekend. For the past three years, I’ve been living on my own, 600 miles away from them. I love my home and my community, and I know that for now, I’m where I’m supposed to be. But there are times when I miss…

Now that a new school year is ramping up, my mom’s volunteer day care service for my niece, Lily, and nephew, Lucas, is back in full swing. My sister, an elementary school teacher, had all-day meetings this week, and school doesn’t start until next week. As such, our house has…

I prefer to write columns after everything is said and done. It’s why I didn’t tell you all about my dad’s cancer until I knew he was going to be OK. I write stories for a living, so I guess it makes sense that I’m drawn to narratives with…

I’ve written plenty about how hard I work to keep healthy and prevent emergencies. I work just as hard to figure out new ways to have fun, immersive experiences that can accommodate my physical challenges. Last year for SMA Awareness Month, I wrote that my dream was to travel across…

What do my doctors and dates have in common? It’s that I’ve asked most of them this question: “Am I the first person with SMA you’ve met?” Surprisingly, I’ve heard a few doctors tell me no. I may be the first adult SMA patient they’ve treated, but they’ve seen…

“Thanks for inviting me on this trip,” my 9-year-old friend Forrest said to me last weekend. His parents were in the gas station convenience store, and we were alone in the car for a few minutes. “Well, thank you for coming on this trip,” I replied. Honestly, I wasn’t sure…

It surprised me to open my email one night to find a message from my colleague Michael Morale. Well, it wasn’t really from Michael. It was from his Otter, a virtual assistant that had attended a company meeting for him that day and sent notes to everyone with…

I was a conscientious student, highly motivated to excel whenever possible. My father was a public school teacher and later a principal at the elementary level. My mother taught piano at home. Neither parent browbeat my younger brother and me into obsession over schoolwork (or, for…