Columns

There seems to be a correlation between productivity and inherent value nowadays. The busier a person is at work, the more she is viewed as a great employee; the more a person accomplishes in life, the more she is praised and admired. While most of us understand the difference between…

This week, the 126th Boston Marathon was held. It was exciting to see 30,000 runners pushing through the 26.2-mile course on the streets of Boston. I had a few friends running this year, and I was so glad that technology allowed us to cheer on our favorites (as well…

I recently started reading about addiction and depression, which led me to enroll in an online certification course in addiction therapy. I have come close to dealing with both, and I want to share those experiences. When you think about it, life is all about stories, and you can’t tell…

“… but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career.” — Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), “Taken” Every time I watch the movie “Taken” and this scene comes up, I’m all in. In it, the Neeson character’s daughter…

It feels like something is missing for me this month. For the past two years, really. Before 2020, my Aprils were full of events, get-togethers, support, and connection with my sarcoidosis family. Now, we’re all in our own homes, saying again how much we miss each other as we get…

When I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2013, I had no idea what was coming. Heck, I couldn’t even pronounce my condition (and truthfully, I still mispronounce it at times). All I knew was that I had red marks on my face, and my lungs were apparently in decline. Ah,…

In the first three months of the year, I’ve lost friends due to various illnesses — none of them primarily because of age — and I’ve worried about some other friends’ troubling health. All of this has made me reflect on the time I have left, given that…

I was unexpectedly hospitalized in February 2020 after several days of feeling weak and more out of breath than usual. Given my pulmonary sarcoidosis, my healthcare team decided to admit me for observation. I had spent the previous month being tested and evaluated for a lung transplant. I…

For the past few months, I’ve been having a lot of pain around my ribs. I may have dislocated a rib, causing everything in the area to tense up in response (I’ve done that before), or it could be costochondritis (inflammation in the connective tissue around the ribs), which is…

Last weekend in New York City offered a combination of past, present, and future, at least in terms of the weather. We had sub-freezing temperatures with rain and snow, a late sunset due to daylight saving time, and a sunny day that served as a reminder that spring is upon…