Earlier today I talked to a woman who attended my last interview about our book with Markell Steele. She’s dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What she told me reminded me a little bit of the early stages of my journey. She’s at a transition point in her career, which has been thrown off track from where she thought she was headed by her illness.
Though she’s worked hard and gotten an MBA, she’s starting to think about finding work that is also good for her soul and her body. She’s concerned too. She’s not sure what to tell prospective employers about this jagged fork in her career road, or just how she’ll make it all work. She reminded me how important it is to share our stories, and to talk to someone who understands.
Some of what she told me reminded me of an article I wrote years about 8 years ago in which I chronicled the highlights of the first 8 years of my journey figuring out life with Crohn’s Disease. Having come from years of training in which the predominant thought was “you create your life,” I had a very interesting time reconciling this new body reality with that premise, and so I sought all sorts of remedies in the pursuit of health. I share it with you today, uncensored.
JOURNAL ARTICLE – What Can Your Health Tell You About Your Career?
Until 1992 I had been, by all accounts, healthy. I am sharing my story with you in hopes that you can use it to make a difference in your own life.
In 1992 I suddenly developed a severe gastrointestinal illness, Chrohn’s disease, which can be very debilitating. The cause of the disease is unknown, and there is no “cure.” This is my eighth year with Chrohn’s and I have been completely symptom free for 7 months, without taking any medicine.
7 months is not forever, but I can tell you this wellness comes with a certain degree of confidence. (While I tell you this, I mentally knock on wood and give thanks, and probably will for the rest of my life.)
My illness has been a tremendous teacher. I have used it to learn about my values, where my integrity’s been out, and to make choices more truly aligned with who I am, and what I am here for.
I had met and heard about people who were far more disabled by this disease than I ever was, and others who claimed to had gotten rid of it. When I fell ill, I vacillated between feeling lucky it wasn’t worse, and feeling like a victim, not so masterful after all. I learned that we each have our own process and learn our lessons in our own time. Click here to read the rest.
Joan
P.S. Have you caught Rosalind’s Virtual Tour? Check it out now.
Next stops:
- Wed Nov 12 – despite lupus, asked me to respond to this question: Why do you give so much attention to the issue of talking about chronic illness and do you think this is more difficult for women than men?
- Thursday Nov 13 – Fighting Fatigue asked me for to write about raising a family, working and living with chronic illness. I offered one “big idea”- a strategy – that I found really helped us.
- Thursday Nov 13 -Yes, we’re appearing on two sites in one day! Read a review of the book on Stuff and Nonsense.
- Friday Nov 14 – My Life Works Today — I’m writing in response to a reader’s question: What happens when you’re too sick to work?
- Friday Nov 14 - Getting closer to myself interviews me asking such questions as: what do I think about the universal issues women with chronic illness face, what should women in their 20′s & 30′s be thinking about as they look ahead and what can women do as a group to face these issues.
