A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes

October 23, 2020October 22, 2020

On Theme and Variations

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

A few weeks back, I listened to a segment on NPR’s “Here & Now” featuring superstar pianist Lang Lang and his latest recording project. I’m still thinking about it. He ... Read more

October 16, 2020October 22, 2020

Peace, My Heart, Peace

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Despite the melatonin and Kava tea, the hot baths and weighted blanket, I’m not sleeping very well these days. I haven’t been for months actually. In addition to the ... Read more

October 2, 2020September 30, 2020

Balance Is Relative

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Multiple sclerosis has taught me many lessons over the last 16 years, and one of the most lasting ones has been about finding balance. I can’t run like a ... Read more

September 18, 2020September 16, 2020

Who We Are and What We Do

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

We’re now moving into the sixth month of quarantine, and it’s looking more and more like the world isn’t going to snap back to the way it was before ... Read more

September 4, 2020September 1, 2020

Finding Soul Food in a Butterfly’s Visit

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t know about you, but these last few months have been rough. Like, I-want-to-crawl-under-my-weighted-blanket-with-a-hot-water-bottle-clutched-to-my-midsection-and-listen-to-Chopin’s-“Nocturnes”-on-an-endless-loop rough. Life’s just like that sometimes, especially when you have multiple sclerosis. Ever since ... Read more

August 21, 2020August 18, 2020

What’s Haiku With You?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t know about you, but most mornings my brain feels like it’s full of hyperactive gerbils. This could be my multiple sclerosis, or it could be pandemic brain ... Read more

August 7, 2020August 5, 2020

Being Freed by Who I Am

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Every few days, I go out to our Little Free Library and change the messages on the two side walls, which are covered in chalkboard paint. One of my ... Read more

July 17, 2020July 14, 2020

What Will We Do?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I recently started writer David Sedaris’ MasterClass, and one piece of advice he keeps reiterating is the importance of keeping a diary, a daily record of your doings and ... Read more

June 19, 2020June 17, 2020

Beach, Please!

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

My family just returned from a lovely week-long vacation on the Gulf of Mexico. It’s always a wonderful time (and one perfectly suited to socially isolating) because we literally ... Read more

June 5, 2020June 3, 2020

When Roses Change, Color Me Surprised

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns, Covid-19

Right now, it’s tempting to feel hopeless. COVID-19 is still out there with no vaccine in sight. Millions of people are out of work. And regardless of how you ... Read more

May 22, 2020May 21, 2020

Eugene Peterson and Lessons About Intentional Living

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

The last few months have been interesting for obvious reasons. All of our routines have been toppled over like a stack of blocks, things that were once mundane now ... Read more

May 8, 2020May 7, 2020

How to Release Fear

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I just turned 42, and though I am wiser and stronger and more independent than I was a few decades ago, not everything is coming up roses. Some days, ... Read more

April 17, 2020April 15, 2020

Ralph and the Cherry on Top of Life

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I have a new personal hero. His name is Ralph Wendorf. We probably don’t have much in common. He’s not even an MS patient! I’ve never met him, and ... Read more

April 3, 2020April 7, 2020

How to Make Working from Home Work for You

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I just finished my third week of working from home due to the coronavirus, and I’ve learned a few things about what it takes to be successful outside of ... Read more

March 20, 2020April 28, 2020

Divide and Conquer: Bravery in the Face of the Coronavirus

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns, Covid-19

I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but there’s this coronavirus thing going around. And it is disrupting everything from concerts and conferences to schools and my kids’ ... Read more

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020

I Must Confess that I Love Needles

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

As someone with 16 years of MS experience, I’ve grown to hate needles. I only have to give myself three shots a week now instead of seven, but I ... Read more

February 21, 2020February 19, 2020

Thinking Outside the Box

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

There’s a story I love to tell about my dad, a retail warrior with more than 30 years of experience under his belt. And it’s one that I think ... Read more

February 7, 2020February 5, 2020

Give It a Rest, Will Ya?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Jan. 1, 2020 was a special day in our house, and not just because a new decade came into being. (Or did it?) It marked our 20th wedding anniversary, ... Read more

January 10, 2020January 7, 2020

Keep It Real: What’s in Your Window Display?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I read a sad tweet last night (though, in a way, aren’t all of them somewhat sad?) in which a woman told a story about her friend who had ... Read more

December 20, 2019December 19, 2019

This Magic Potion Made the ‘Throat Thing’ Disappear

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

After I wrote my last column about essential oils to combat the common cold, I knew I was doomed to catch something. And that’s what happened … kinda. A ... Read more

December 6, 2019December 5, 2019

Cold? What Cold?!

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

As an MS patient, I’m always on the lookout for something that will help me stay healthy. Though doctors say flu shots are OK for us, they’re not for ... Read more

November 22, 2019November 20, 2019

Making (and Appreciating) Space

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

As an MS patient (and an insatiable polymath), I’m always on the lookout for new information. Recently, I learned about an interesting concept in Japanese culture called “Ma,” and ... Read more

November 8, 2019November 7, 2019

Simple Signs with Messages of Hope Resonate with Me

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I’m not a superstitious person always on the lookout for signs and omens. I don’t read the wrappers on Dove chocolates or seek life advice from the paper slips ... Read more

October 25, 2019October 22, 2019

Mystery Keeps Me Pushing Forward: I Wonder What I’ll Do Next

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

If there’s one thing the internet is good for, it’s inspirational quotes. They’re usually paired with a picture of a woman at the beach, her arms open to the ... Read more

October 11, 2019October 10, 2019

‘The Land Is Better’: Embracing Highs and Lows

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I recently read “The Animal Family” by Randall Jarrell. It’s considered a children’s book, but like many stories written for kids, it has much to offer grown-up readers. The ... Read more

September 27, 2019September 24, 2019

Violence Can Ensue When We Don’t Rest

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

One of the best things about my job is something called fact-checking. Before publishing an article, we go through all the stats, facts, quotes, and assertions, researching their validity. ... Read more

September 6, 2019September 3, 2019

I Did Not See That (Ulcer) Coming

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Like most of you, I take medication for my multiple sclerosis. Copaxone is my medication of choice, though I have recently switched to the generic version, glatiramer acetate. I’ve ... Read more

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019

I Am Grateful for Everything — Even MS

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Last week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper broadcast an interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. They had a lively discussion about comedy, politics, careers, and the like, but perhaps ... Read more

August 9, 2019August 27, 2019

Looking Forward, Looking Back

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I am now 41, at the beginning of “middle age,” and I’m tempted to give it the middle finger. It’s a halfway point, a layover, a way station — ... Read more

July 26, 2019August 22, 2019

Letting Go of Appearances in Life with MS

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Living with MS can sometimes feel like you’re performing a one-woman (or man) show. Think about it. How many times have you pretended to be OK when you didn’t ... Read more

July 12, 2019July 10, 2019

Tools May Endure, but They Need Human Hands to Realize Their Potential

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

For the last two weeks or so, I’ve begun my mornings by slapping on some makeup and, with my hair in hot rollers, sitting down to read a page ... Read more

June 14, 2019June 12, 2019

How Does Your Garden Grow?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

A few weeks ago, I told you that I’d made a decision: I had to slow down. I think and talk quickly. I work quickly and drive much too ... Read more

May 17, 2019June 27, 2019

As If You Needed Another Reason to Eat Cake

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I was at a church function last Saturday, chatting with the guest speaker and her mother, and I noticed that the older woman was making several trips to the ... Read more

May 3, 2019June 18, 2019

Don’t Be a Doozer — Slow Down!

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

My husband and I were driving home from church a few weeks ago, cars zipping around us every which way. He looked at me and said, “Do you ever ... Read more

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019

The Unplayable Piano

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

What do a broken-down, out-of-tune piano and multiple sclerosis have in common? Well, they’re both disorderly and confusing, to say the least. But there’s something else — they have ... Read more

March 22, 2019March 20, 2019

Remember, Remember

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

When I first learned that I had multiple sclerosis in late January 2004, the thing I worried about most was losing my mind. No, I’m not referring to stressing ... Read more

March 8, 2019March 7, 2019

Sometimes You Have to Skip the Whaling Chapters

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Playing Billy Beane in “Moneyball,” Brad Pitt utters the now famous line, “Adapt or die.” (Warning: The scene linked here has a few naughty words in it.) He’s referencing ... Read more

February 22, 2019March 5, 2019

The More Things Change …

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

An awesome friend of mine at work who is learning to master Spanish as a second language has been using a podcast called “News in Slow Spanish” to increase ... Read more

February 8, 2019February 12, 2019

I Want to Be Alive, Rather Than Just ‘Not Dead’

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

“I’m alive,” said Shadow. “I’m not dead. Remember?” “You’re not dead,” Laura said. “But I’m not sure you’re alive, either. Not really.” This snippet of a longer conversation in ... Read more

January 25, 2019January 24, 2019

‘Clean Up, Clean Up (Everybody, Everywhere)’

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed the endless hours of Barney I was forced to endure when I babysat kids in the 1990s, but “The Clean Up ... Read more