Columns

Disabled people and their loved ones are some of the most creative people on the planet, and I don’t just mean artistically. We have to find creative solutions to everyday problems we encounter as a result of our disabilities. Our world isn’t always accessible, and sometimes sees…

As I was leaving a doctor appointment a few months ago, I reached my breaking point. In fairness, it was long overdue. For weeks, I could feel the tension bubbling inside me. Anxiety would greet me at the office’s main entrance and sit in the empty chair…

Kevin Schaefer was a cute, spunky, almost-4-year-old when I lucked into a plum friendship with his mama, Cindy. My third baby, Jeffrey, had just been diagnosed with SMA type 1. Kevin, her third child, had a milder form. Cindy and I became fast friends. With three hours’ distance…

When we think about key moments in our lives, such as weddings and graduations, most of us have a tendency to wonder how things might have turned out differently. We’ll wonder what might have happened if we’d chosen a different career path, pursued a certain relationship, or moved to our…

One might say I was giddy. Once or twice a month, I drive 20 minutes to get shot up with allergens (mold and cat dander, for the curious). So the act itself was mundane. There was nothing special about trekking across the suburbs to my clinic of choice, aka…

I’ve been on my own more than usual lately.  The idea feels odd to me when I first greet it, but when I consider the depths of the hourglass accounting for all of my life’s moments so far, I visualize solitude as a dear old friend. Like any classic…

Humans like to believe that progress is linear. We were in the Dark Ages, then we weren’t. We were largely illiterate, then we read so much we created demand for the printing press. We didn’t have smartphones and international access to each other via the internet, and now…

The worst part about long-running sitcoms is when they hit so close to real life. This is especially true when everyone’s favorite characters leave. Think about when Michael left “The Office,” or when Chris and Ann left the town of Pawnee in “Parks and Recreation.” These moments hit…

Three years ago, I wrote a column about anxiety and apple orchards. After a long day at an orchard with my caregiver and her daughter, I reflected on something my therapist had said to me: “Can you feel the anxiety and do it anyway?” Three years later, life looks…

I have a fear of falling. It’s not from the great heights of suspension bridges or tall buildings. No, it’s much more humble than that. I fear I will fall off the tiniest exam room table at the gynecologist’s office. And during my recent women’s wellness visit, this was only…