reading

Being Freed by Who I Am

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 missives reads: ā€œMy ā€˜summer bodyā€™ plans didnā€™t work out, but Iā€™m killing my reading list. Take that, 2020!ā€ And itā€™s…

Remember, Remember

When I first learned that I had multiple sclerosis in late January 2004, the thing I worried about most was losing my mind. No, Iā€™m not referring to stressing out, going bananas, cracking up, going off the deep end, or coming unglued ā€” though all of those were distinct…

What the World Needs Now is Books

After reading more than a few articles about how social media demolishes our attention span, prevents us from forming healthy real-world relationships, and causes higher-than-normal rates of depression, stress, and insomnia, I decided to cut way back on screen time. And you know what? I donā€™t miss Facebook and…

Coming out of the Cog Fog

I am watching the computer curser taunt my inability to collect my thoughts. Three days out of chemotherapy, my brain is more fried than usual, the fog thick and dense. For those unfamiliar with cog fog (cognitive fog), it is a clouding…

Cover to Cover, Books of All Kinds Can Lift Your Life

In “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” as excellent a book about wordcraft as has ever been set to paper, Stephen King says, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” Iā€™m inclined to agree. After all, no matter where you are, you have company if thereā€™s a book at…

Know which questions to ask your neurologist about MRIs

I’m sure all of us with multiple sclerosis have had at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Most likely, more than one. MRIs are designed to scan and provide detailed pictures of the body, the brain included. The test can reveal scars (plaque lesions) on the brain and the…