Blog

It’s been awhile, and although I do share tidbits extra often on social media and by way of my publication, I needed to do a full write up of what has been happening. 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, tough years. With my restricted bandwidth as a result of ongoing spinal cerebrospinal (CSF) leak, I’ve needed to reduce out a few 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 plenty of different issues that I needed to share. I’ve additionally seen specialists and realized extra about my physique, sufficient that that info sheds a really completely different mild on the a few years of continual 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 needed 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.

Shifting to Gatineau, Quebec and Residing Semi-Independently

Since Might, 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 effectively. For now, although, Gatineau has been a beautiful center floor. I acquired to spend a summer season wandering right down to the water, seeing my household, and studying find out how to reside largely alone, with a leak.

Unfiltered / unedited picture from a sundown over the Ottawa River, taken from the Gatineau aspect.

My brother and his companion 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 individuals I like a lot.

At first, adjusting to the residence 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 beneath the fridge, so I couldn’t open it with out making my CSF leak worse. The dishes and pots have been too heavy for me to clean myself, or use comfortably. The listing went on.

These are fixable issues, after all. I acquired 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 reward 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. Typically 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 exhausting after I moved into this residence.

Like anything, adjusting to this new life has its ups and downs, and finally I acquired previous the frustration and began strategizing methods to repair the issues I used to be dealing with. I additionally acquired a kitchen rolling cart, a lot of canvas storage bins since every part has to sit down 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 to reside independently once more. So whereas there’s a lot I want I may 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.

It’s 3.5 km to the Ottawa River and again, and I’m past grateful that I’m able to stroll there when my physique permits.

Connecting the dots

As I discussed, my spinal CSF leak continues to be energetic. However my physique both appears to have produced extra CSF, giving me some further “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 in a position, 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 website 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 referred to 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 solution to settle for help from this neighborhood, however it’s slowly morphing into a spot the place I additionally share sources for people who find themselves struggling for continual 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 help an individual in ache. So the Patreon’s AMAs are a spot the place I reply these questions, and add further sources.

The posts I’ve shared there additionally go into how I made the residence I’m in accessible, and what adjustments to the setup allowed me to deal with dwelling alone with the disabilities I now have. Most not too long ago, as generally individuals really feel unhealthy about asking for assist or accepting assist, somebody requested me to speak about find out how to speak to somebody in ache to assist them get help if they’re cussed. (I’ll be answering this within the subsequent AMA).

From suggestions to this point, these have been actually helpful. I sit up for sharing extra.

Additionally, I’m now a Patreon ambassador! I acquired an electronic mail from them in the summertime, asking if I’d be all in favour of making use of for an ambassadorship programme they have been constructing. I’m one among a small group of creators (out of their 200,000 customers) who have been accepted.

It’s nonetheless fairly new, and up to now it’s been beautiful to satisfy some actually attention-grabbing, tremendous creative individuals. The ambassadorship is unpaid, however options workshop—I’ve attended a number of to this point—and rewarding breakout rooms with others within the programme to share methods and issues/successes. Different perks embrace 1:1 product help, social media options, enjoyable swag for my Patreon neighborhood, in addition to paid alternatives to take part in issues like product focus teams or inventive collaborations with their crew.

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 wanting 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!

Should you’re all in favour of becoming a member of the Patreon neighborhood, you are able to do so right here.

A One-Time Help Possibility

Once I launched my Patreon, I acquired messages from readers who needed to contribute and/or help me in my work by way of a one-time cost. I didn’t have that in place, however do now.

A lot of you requested for a one-time help possibility

The Curious About The whole lot Publication

Regardless of all this pleasure of transferring to a brand new place, I’ve managed to maintain my publication working. I’ve been enjoying round with format (and emojis, I can’t assist myself), and primarily spotlighting a number of vital reads every month, together with extra enjoyable photo-essays and quirky items I discover. I generally embrace private updates, however the focus of the publication is on gifted and/or vital writing value studying.

Whereas it’s on Substack, and lots of writers have moved to a paid publication mannequin, I don’t plan to take action. The Patreon is the first help system for my earnings, alongside celiac playing cards and the meals maps store. The publication I plan to maintain free.

Even when this website has been extra dormant than I would really like, I really feel pleased that CAE has gone out each month for the final 11 months.

You’ll be able to join under in case you are all in favour of receiving it.

A Large Piece about Psychological Mindset (Coming Quickly)

I had a publish referred to as Find out how to Get Via Horrible Occasions that I had on this website, however I’ve briefly taken it down as I deliberate to publish it individually. I’ve been engaged on this piece over the last whereas and it’s nonetheless in enhancing, however I’m excited to share it on the new JE website.

Redesign of Authorized Nomads:

You might have seen that the positioning is a little bit completely different!

Arthur the raven, my mascot, could be very outstanding. Ravens are such extremely curious birds, and I selected one as my website’s throughline as a way to spotlight that I nonetheless am too, albeit another way to earlier than.

Yay, Arthur the raven!

And, a brand new slogan: interested by every part. I’m now not telling tales by means of meals, in order that slogan needed to go. The brand new brand 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 needed to be taught as a lot as potential.

I began to really feel actually dissonant after I seemed on the ‘previous’ Authorized Nomads, so this displays extra of the place I’m in life whereas nonetheless sustaining the same construction.

I’ve added well being and continual ache to the principle 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 needed, in order with the final redesign to the positioning I supplied the belongings (new logos, Arthur the Raven, and so forth.) to an internet developer as a substitute of hiring somebody who did branding in addition to growth. The belongings have been inked by my artist-in-Authorized-Nomadsness Ella F. Sanders. The redesign was finished by an internet developer who works for fellow journey blogger Mike’s internet growth firm. Whereas her work was paid, he donated his personal time professional bono to assist supervise the undertaking.

Put up 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 maintain 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 mirror 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 situated” part, as a result of consider it or not that’s the commonest search time period for this publish. It’s additionally acquired COVID-19 guidelines for visiting, should you have been selecting to threat going now.
I up to date the Vietnamese Egg Espresso Recipe with locations to get it in North America, and new items and movies concerning the candy deal with.
I up to date my piece on sleep points and jet lag with details about find out how to sleep higher, and new research about chronomedicine and Covid-19.
I up to date my Vipassana Meditation retreat expertise with some new knowledge concerning 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 subject, and a extra clear breakdown of find out how to go about shifting careers once you really feel overwhelmed desirous about 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-Electronic 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 have been finished supporting that possibility. So I had to determine what service to make use of as a way to get these individuals 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 might be despatched by an organization referred to 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 good friend Nathan began the corporate and is a very beautiful human being; I’d a lot slightly give my cash to gifted mates than strangers!

Should you’re not getting Authorized Nomads by way of electronic mail, you’ll be able to join by way of the shape under. That is only for LN posts (about each six months, when it comes to publishing schedule as of late!). My month-to-month publication above is separate.

Should you have been already subscribed to get Authorized Nomads posts by electronic mail, you do not want to do something. I needed to clarify why the emails look completely 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 few months a few of the finest in years. I will not be cell or touring the world anymore, however I consider that I’m capable of assist extra individuals 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 sicknesses of family members, this work feels helpful.

And feeling helpful goes a good distance towards life satisfaction for me.

Thanks for permitting me to share this journey with you.

Till subsequent time,
Jodi