Weasel's Journal Entries

Who are you becoming regardless of what life gives back?

Written by J.T. Oden People say they want to get healthier for all the usual reasons. Lose weight. Build muscle. Lower blood pressure. Sleep better. Live longer. All of those are true. They're just not always the whole truth. Because there are the reasons we give, and then there are the reasons we quietly carry. Hardly anybody says, "I'm trying to lose twenty pounds because I want to feel wanted." But people do say they want to feel more confident. More comfortable in their o

Written by J.T. Oden No, Not Those Hobbies Tell people you spend a lot of time in bed, and you’ll often get one of two reactions. One is sympathy. The other is a smirk. But for many people living with chronic illness, bed isn't just a place to sleep. It's a recovery station, a symptom management center, an occasional office, and sometimes the only place our bodies are willing to cooperate with us. Unfortunately, popular culture tends to associate hobbies with energy-intensive

Written By J.T. Oden There are some purchases in life that come with a return policy. If something doesn't work the way you expected, you take it back. If it breaks, you exchange it. If you regret the purchase, you ask for a refund. Bone marrow transplants don't work that way. Whatever happens afterward becomes part of the deal. For most of my life, sickle cell dictated what I could do, how I felt, and how much uncertainty surrounded my future. When the opportunity came to un