Blog of the Swirly-eyed Sister
Woke up in Roanoke to drizzling rain and low 60s. The hotel room had no microwave to heat our tea, so we had to run the water through the coffee maker half a dozen times to get rid of the Continue reading Day 4: Tennessee Hills, Asheville shops, & adult toys
John: If y’all want me to relax, leave me at home. Despite having said that this morning, John (and I) had a spectacular day viewing Shenandoah Cavern and Shenandoah Valley National Park. The weather threatened, then sputtered rain as we Continue reading Day 3: Shenandoah Cavern and Park
Here we are on Day 2 in Fredericksburg, VA. Beautiful colonial town with lots of charm. We made it through the NY/NJ madness fine. Had a meh-meh lunch (actually not even that good) at Roy Rogers at the rest stop Continue reading Day 2: That’s what the directions said
Today is the day we head for the open road and the great unknown. John is not overly excited but at least he didn’t have on his grumpy face as we headed out the drive. And, surprise!, we didn’t make Continue reading Day 1: Bon Voyage
A dear friend once told me that good health is everything. I can’t blame her for thinking that. For six years, she watched as Alzheimer’s disease claimed her sweet mother’s mind and body. I, too, watched as Alzheimer’s decimated my Continue reading Making a good life without good health
I run a support group for people who live with chronic pain. Almost everyone who attends has the same complaint: Other people don’t understand what it’s like to be in pain day in and day out. People’s perception of what Continue reading Opening the Doors of Perception
I’ve just survived a trip with my cousin, Carolyn. We share many family traits, including a gene that creates calamity and another that makes us laugh at whatever befalls us. We also both have rheumatoid arthritis. The trip—to the wedding Continue reading Turning disaster into a comedy routine
Those of us who live with chronic pain are all too familiar with the five stages of grief described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her groundbreaking work “On Death and Dying.” The loved one we grieve for, however, is not another Continue reading What does grief have to do with chronic pain?
When my gentle, wry-witted father developed Alzheimer’s disease, sometimes laughter was the only way I could cope with his decline. I wrote an editorial about a couple of the incidents I found humorous, encouraging others in grim situations to laugh Continue reading Lighten Up and Lighten the Load
From Connections, the Chronic Pain Support Group newsletter, Spring 2002 Ah, Spring! “Puddle wonderful” and “mud-luscious,” as e.e. cummings described the season he so aptly called “Just-spring.” I hope by the time you read this, the sun will be warm Continue reading It’s Spring: Time for Sharing and Soaring