Hi. I’m Hal. I live in a body and this is “Living in a Body.” I’m officially taking a week off from writing, but I’m sending this post to encourage you to get caught up on any episodes that you may have missed.
Would you do me a favor? Please leave a comment today. It really helps me to know that you’re our there. Even just a “read it” would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some other ideas for your comment — What was your favorite episode? Do you prefer reading the episodes in your email or listening to the podcasts? What color would you like the “Living in a Body” T-shirts to be? Of the 12 episodes, how many have you read/listened to? Has this publication sparked anything in you? Do you live in a body? ❤️ ~ Hal
Episode 2 - The Announcement
I started “Living in a Body” right after the wildly successful “Love Song for Hal” concert. I had just come out of the darkest time of my illness and I was excited to have the strength to sit up and write. This episode is an introduction to myself, ME/CFS and Open Medicine Foundation.
Episode 3 - Sudden Onset, 1992
In this episode, I discovered the joy of adding audio to the posts. I tell my story of graduating from Northwestern, riding my bicycle all around the country and then experiencing the sudden onset of ME/CFS. As you read “Living in a Body,” you’ll often hear references to my dad — who’s pictured here.
Episode 4 - Flippant Hal, the Golden Son
This episode is basically about giving myself the freedom to be all different versions of me in this publication. Having been a people pleaser my whole life, this one warns you, the audience that I’m hoping to push the boundaries a little bit. :)
Episode 5 - I Love Crying
This one tells the devastating story of my health in 2021. For five months, I kept having these “crashes” and no one could figure out what was causing them. Each one rendered me more ill than before. I’m grateful to say that for some unknown reason the crashes stopped in January. My symptoms have leveled off to a consistent “moderately severe.”
Episode 6 - Bringing Down the Norwegian
I think this is one of my favorite episodes. I love telling this story of all the good things that happened after I made the difficult decision to cut down a tree in my back yard.
Episode 7 - No Flex
For a while there, I was so weak that could barely lift a glass. My muscles seemed to be turning to jello. I’m glad to say that I’m a little stronger now. Once, I even lifted my wheelchair into my car by myself. (which might not have been such a good idea.)
Episode 8 - Stolen Quarters
I open up here a little bit about my life as an addict in recovery. I used to steal quarters from my dad’s dresser to play pinball. It’s a good story. :)
Episode 9 - Bonus Life
This is the most popular episode so far. It’s the crazy story of when I almost died in the ocean. I encourage you to listen to the audio.
Episode 10 - No More Striving
I have had to come to terms with the fact that I’m not able to accomplish near as much as I would like to in a day. ME/CFS is very humbling.
Episode 11 - A Green Beer Miracle
My mom is the guest writer and speaker for this episode. If you haven’t heard her tell the story of meeting my dad on St. Patrick’s Day, you’ve got to listen now.
Episode 12 - The Place Where Music Begins
This episode is a little different. It’s more poetry than a story. I share the microphone with my dad. Enjoy.
Time to Get Caught Up