Tag Archives: chronic illness

“Feed Your Porch Cats” is a Positive Mindset in the Toughest of Times

18 Apr
On one of my worst days this week, I dumped a scoop of cat food into the bowl I keep on my back porch. Hearing the clank of all the crunchy little pieces against the stainless steel, I felt valuable....
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What Chronic Illness Taught Me About “Uncertain Times”

14 Mar
Here's the thing about not having a diagnosis: It's very challenging to move forward. I couldn't get a clear treatment plan, because we didn't know what we were treating. I couldn't explain to friends and coworkers what was going on,...
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My 12 Hacks for Attending a Professional Conference While Living with Invisible Disability

1 Aug
I avoid in-person trainings and especially conferences, because my chronic conditions make them quite uncomfortable and even agonizingly painful. I live with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (with one terrible herniated disc named Larry), and...
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Middle-Aged, Disabled, and Still Playing with Toys

30 Jun
I have a joyful building toy hobby, which has now inspired a new YouTube channel @ConstruxtiveChris featuring a favorite toy from my childhood, Fisher-Price Construx. This channel has nothing to do with my speaking business or my Splat books. It’s...
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17 Reasons Folks with Hidden Disabilities are Assets in the Workplace

24 May
I am so thrilled to have my own business and all the flexibility that comes from being self-employed. I’ve managed to become an entrepreneur both despite and because of my hidden disabilities, which are: osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease (with a...
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Documinitary: 4-Campus Speaking Tour in New York

12 Apr
I finally made another little movie! This was the first week of February, 2024, when I spoke at Cayuga Community College’s Auburn and Fulton campuses, as well as Onondaga Community College and State University of New York Morrisville. Here you...
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The Dark Side of Adventure

23 Mar
How I Lost My Ability to “Pass” and What Happens When People Make Assumptions Five years ago, when I published my first article on The Mighty (featuring my Splat system for communicating about chronic physical and mental health conditions), a...
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10 Tips for Disability-Inclusive Collaboration at Work

10 Aug
While I’m not a human resources professional, and I don’t have extensive management training, I’ve worked a lot of different jobs. I’ve worked with disabilities and worked with people with disabilities, and I was a classroom teacher for several years....
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