Final up to date on April 2, 2023.
It’s been awhile, and although I do share tidbits extra incessantly on social media and by way of my e-newsletter, I wished to do a full write up of what has been occurring. I haven’t revealed a weblog publish since April, so it is a lengthy overdue replace. It shares some thrilling skilled information, but in addition the non-public because it pertains to my well being.
This neighborhood has been an enormous a part of what has stored me afloat throughout the previous few, troublesome years. With my restricted bandwidth because of the ongoing spinal cerebrospinal (CSF) leak, I’ve needed to reduce out a number of the work I wish to do. The weblog was placed on hiatus first, as a result of updating on social media (primarily Instagram) is faster and fewer labour intensive.
However whereas I’ve not been placing out new posts right here, I’ve spent many hours updating the backend of the web site, and dealing on quite a few different issues that I wished to share. I’ve additionally seen specialists and discovered extra about my physique, sufficient that that info sheds a really totally different gentle on the a few years of power ache I endured previous to my CSF leak.
It has taken time to course of the thread that now connects dots I by no means thought to attach, and I wished to maintain my neighborhood up to date.
Private Updates
Just a few updates about how I’m feeling, these linked dots, and the place I’m dwelling.
Transferring to Gatineau, Quebec and Residing Semi-Independently
Since Could, I’ve been dwelling in Gatineau, throughout the river from Ottawa. My brother lives in Ottawa, and my plan is to finally transfer there as properly. For now, although, Gatineau has been a stunning center floor. I obtained to spend a summer time wandering all the way down to the water, seeing my household, and studying methods to stay largely alone, with a leak.
My brother and his associate come over as soon as per week to assist with issues I can’t do, like getting groceries for me, and doing my laundry and my vacuuming. I’m fortunate that I’ve them to select up the slack that my leak steals away, and I’ll by no means complain about getting extra time with folks I like a lot.
At first, adjusting to the house felt actually deflating. There have been many issues that I couldn’t attain, or use. The mattress was too low and really painful to get out and in of. The freezer was a drawer underneath the fridge, so I couldn’t open it with out making my CSF leak worse. The dishes and pots had been too heavy for me to scrub myself, or use comfortably. The record went on.
These are fixable issues, after all. I obtained a mattress pad, a tiny freezer, and new light-weight dishes and a small pot to make use of, thanks in no small half to the Amazon present playing cards you bought me for my birthday.
However the preliminary weeks right here felt actually deflating. As people we’re so good at adjusting. Generally too good, and we overlook the place we actually are. The attitude I misplaced was that I’m truly extra disabled than I remembered, one thing that hit me onerous after I moved into this house.
Like anything, adjusting to this new life has its ups and downs, and finally I obtained previous the frustration and began strategizing methods to repair the issues I used to be going through. I additionally obtained a kitchen rolling cart, a lot of canvas storage bins since every little thing has to take a seat on counters to be reachable for me, and some different issues that make the place extra snug.
I used to be by no means positive if I’d even be capable of stay independently once more. So whereas there’s a lot I want I might do, I’m very grateful that I’m able to have extra autonomy after years of being so depending on others for each little factor.
Connecting the dots
As I discussed, my spinal CSF leak continues to be lively. However my physique both appears to have produced extra CSF, giving me some extra “uptime”, or it has gotten barely higher. Since my leak, I’ve had immune and different points which have cropped up or worsened. I used to be ready, with the assistance of labs and specialists, to lastly join the dots. You’ll be able to learn extra about that course of on my private web site as follows:
Mast cells are “sentinels” of the immune system, a kind of white blood cell that helps management the immune processes within the physique. They’re known as resident immune cells as a result of they reside in tissues and never in our bloodstream. And so they reside in tissues all around the physique, from the connective tissue, to the endothelial cells, to the epithelial cells, and even within the mind.
Enterprise Updates
Among the initiatives I’ve been engaged on within the months since I final revealed.
Sharing Sources about Ache on Patreon
I created the Patreon as a approach to settle for assist from this neighborhood, however it’s slowly morphing into a spot the place I additionally share assets for people who find themselves struggling for power ache, or those that know somebody who’s in ache.
The unhappy actuality is that almost all of us are in a kind of two classes.
Over time, I’ve acquired many questions on how I’ve coped with my very own ache ranges. Now, I’m getting questions on how somebody can assist an individual in ache. So the Patreon’s AMAs are a spot the place I reply these questions, and add extra assets.
The posts I’ve shared there additionally go into how I made the house I’m in accessible, and what modifications to the setup allowed me to deal with dwelling alone with the disabilities I now have. Most just lately, as typically folks really feel dangerous about asking for assist or accepting assist, somebody requested me to speak about methods to discuss to somebody in ache to assist them get assist if they’re cussed. (I’ll be answering this within the subsequent AMA).
From suggestions up to now, these have been actually helpful. I stay up for sharing extra.
Additionally, I’m now a Patreon ambassador! I obtained an electronic mail from them in the summertime, asking if I’d be eager about making use of for an ambassadorship programme they had been constructing. I’m one among a small group of creators (out of their 200,000 customers) who had been accepted.
It’s nonetheless fairly new, and to date it’s been beautiful to fulfill some actually fascinating, tremendous creative folks. The ambassadorship is unpaid, however options workshop—I’ve attended a number of up to now—and rewarding breakout rooms with others within the programme to share methods and issues/successes. Different perks embody 1:1 product assist, social media options, enjoyable swag for my Patreon neighborhood, in addition to paid alternatives to take part in issues like product focus teams or artistic collaborations with their workforce.
I don’t know the way they discovered me, and it’s intimidating as a result of lots of the different creators have upwards of 2000 Patrons, however I’m trying ahead to taking part! Provided that it was all of you who requested me to start out a Patreon, I’ve this neighborhood to thank!
For those who’re eager about becoming a member of the Patreon neighborhood, you are able to do so right here.
A One-Time Assist Choice
After I launched my Patreon, I acquired messages from readers who wished to contribute and/or assist me in my work by way of a one-time cost. I didn’t have that in place, however do now.
The Curious About All the pieces Publication
Regardless of all this pleasure of transferring to a brand new place, I’ve managed to maintain my e-newsletter working. I’ve been enjoying round with format (and emojis, I can’t assist myself), and primarily spotlighting a number of necessary reads every month, together with extra enjoyable photo-essays and quirky items I discover. I typically embody private updates, however the focus of the e-newsletter is on proficient and/or necessary writing value studying.
Whereas it’s on Substack, and lots of writers have moved to a paid e-newsletter mannequin, I don’t plan to take action. The Patreon is the first assist system for my revenue, alongside celiac playing cards and the meals maps store. The e-newsletter I plan to maintain free.
Even when this web site has been extra dormant than I would really like, I really feel completely satisfied that CAE has gone out each month for the final 11 months.
You’ll be able to join under in case you are eager about receiving it.
A Huge Piece about Psychological Mindset (Coming Quickly)
I had a publish known as The best way to Get By way of Horrible Occasions that I had on this web site, however I’ve quickly taken it down as I deliberate to publish it individually. I’ve been engaged on this piece over the past whereas and it’s nonetheless in modifying, however I’m excited to share it on the new JE web site.
Redesign of Authorized Nomads:
You will have seen that the positioning is a bit of totally different!
Arthur the raven, my mascot, may be very distinguished. Ravens are such extremely curious birds, and I selected one as my web site’s throughline with the intention to spotlight that I nonetheless am too, albeit otherwise to earlier than.
And, a brand new slogan: inquisitive about every little thing. I’m not telling tales by meals, in order that slogan needed to go. The brand new emblem displays a divergence from my prior lifetime of journey and meals, but in addition the reality of who I at all times was: somebody who wished to be taught as a lot as attainable.
I began to really feel actually dissonant after I appeared on the ‘outdated’ Authorized Nomads, so this displays extra of the place I’m in life whereas nonetheless sustaining an analogous construction.
I’ve added well being and power ache to the primary classes on the house web page, too, since they’re now an even bigger a part of what I write about.
I had actually particular concepts of what I wished, in order with the final redesign to the positioning I offered the belongings (new logos, Arthur the Raven, and so forth.) to an online developer as an alternative of hiring somebody who did branding in addition to improvement. The belongings had been inked by my artist-in-Authorized-Nomadsness Ella F. Sanders. The redesign was achieved by an online developer who works for fellow journey blogger Mike’s internet improvement firm. Whereas her work was paid, he donated his personal time professional bono to assist supervise the mission.
Submit Overhauls and Web page Updates:
My morning routine is to rise up, make espresso, after which do some work on the web site till I must take a break.
This has allowed me to slowly replace pages and posts over time, and preserve Authorized Nomads extra present.
Amongst them:
- The gluten free guides are up to date for 2021. They’re right here.
- The gluten free New York Metropolis information has additionally been up to date to replicate restaurant closures and a few newcomers to the scene which might be 100% gluten free.
- I added a historical past of Belize part, and a “the place is Belize positioned” part, as a result of consider it or not that’s the most typical search time period for this publish. It’s additionally obtained COVID-19 guidelines for visiting, if you happen to had been selecting to danger going now.
- I up to date the Vietnamese Egg Espresso Recipe with locations to get it in North America, and new items and movies in regards to the candy deal with.
- I up to date my piece on sleep points and jet lag with details about methods to sleep higher, and new research about chronomedicine and Covid-19.
- I up to date my Vipassana Meditation retreat expertise with some new information in regards to the risks of these sorts of retreats, and the way in some circumstances they will result in a psychological break.
- The Various Careers for Legal professionals web page has been up to date to incorporate pandemic info, the rise of consultants within the authorized discipline, and a extra clear breakdown of methods to go about shifting careers while you really feel overwhelmed interested by how to take action.
- In November 2021, I up to date my historical past of chili peppers publish to incorporate the 2021 Nobel Prize profitable analysis on capsaicin, somatosensory receptors, and ache.
RSS-to-E mail Modifications: Feedburner isn’t any extra. RIP Feedburner.
Google has been threatening to chop RSS-to-email choices for Feedburner for a few years. The service was deprecated years in the past, and this July they lastly mentioned that they had been achieved supporting that possibility. So I had to determine what service to make use of with the intention to get these folks their emails. (Since I barely write right here, I had a lot of time to do that!)
For these of you who opted to obtain Authorized Nomads updates by way of electronic mail, new posts can be despatched by an organization known as ConvertKit. I used to be planning on switching to them proper earlier than my CSF leak occurred, so it solely took me an additional few years. My buddy Nathan began the corporate and is a very beautiful human being; I’d a lot moderately give my cash to proficient buddies than strangers!
For those who’re not getting Authorized Nomads by way of electronic mail, you may join by way of the shape under. That is only for LN posts (about each six months, when it comes to publishing schedule nowadays!). My month-to-month e-newsletter above is separate.
For those who had been already subscribed to get Authorized Nomads posts by electronic mail, you don’t want to do something. I wished to clarify why the emails look totally different, and let everybody know they will additionally join that manner if they like.
That’s it for now!
Whereas the ache I’m in by no means goes away, these initiatives and my newfound autonomy have helped make these previous couple of months a number of the greatest in years. I might not be cellular or touring the world anymore, however I consider that I’m capable of assist extra folks than ever earlier than.
Whether or not it’s serving to navigate robust occasions, understanding ache and loss, or simply giving extra context to the diseases of family members, this work feels helpful.
And feeling helpful goes a great distance towards life satisfaction for me.
Thanks for permitting me to share this journey with you.
Till subsequent time,
Jodi