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Well… hello again!

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After regularly blogging about my multiple sclerosis life since diagnosis in 2013, I stepped away for more than 8 months. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure when—or even if—I would return to blogging. Life has a funny way of filling up our calendars, shifting our priorities, and convincing us that we’ll “get back to it next week.”

As it turns out, next week took a little longer than expected. But here we are!

Coming back feels a bit like opening a favorite book you’ve been meaning to finish. Everything feels familiar, yet somehow brand new. There’s excitement, a touch of nervousness, and a whole lot of ideas waiting to spill onto the page.

During my time away, life didn’t stop. I learned new things, picked up different perspectives, celebrated wins, stumbled through challenges, and collected stories worth sharing. Sometimes stepping away gives us exactly what we need: fresh experiences that make us better storytellers.

So why return now?

Because I missed it.

This time around you can expect a little bit of everything — stories from everyday life, lessons learned, things that inspire me, practical tips, occasional adventures, and probably a few unexpected rabbit holes. If something catches my attention or sparks my curiosity, chances are it’ll find its way into a blog post.

Think of this as a fresh chapter rather than a restart. The past posts helped me get here, and the next ones will continue the journey.

This site is entirely human-created and it always will be. If you’re sick and tired of reading AI junk – I know that I am! – I urge you to support a human writer and fellow MSer who maintains a blog like this by visiting frequently, sharing links to posts, adding your comments at the end of the posts you have something to say about, and, when deserved, sending a donation to help me cover the costs. This is currently an ad-free, subscription-free blog and I’d like to keep it that way. But your participation is what motivates me to keep writing.

Let’s make this chapter a fun one. I already have some great content for next week’s blog. Every Thursday… be ready for a great new read.

And if you haven’t seen the great new, I have just published a book. Check it out on Amazon- “The Wobbly Bunch: Funny Takes on Living with Multiple Sclerosis”. I’m sure you will enjoy it. There’s nothing better than laughing, especially when you most need it.

The Wobbly Bunch

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Goodnight, Moon: A See-You-Later from Positive Living with MS

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Decluttering started in my kitchen, and now it’s reaching my website. After a lot of reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to stop writing my weekly blog posts. I wasn’t able to raise the funds needed to keep the site running, and I see that as a clear sign it’s time to let this chapter close.

I want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart — for your support, your comments, your shares, and the way you’ve walked this journey with me. This little corner of the internet has been a safe place to laugh, cry, vent, and find hope together, and I’ll always be grateful for the connections we’ve built here.

This isn’t a forever goodbye; it’s more of a “see you later.” You can still find me on X (@PositiveWithMS) and Facebook, where I’ll pop in to share thoughts, encouragement, and maybe a silly meme or two when I can. Let’s keep the conversation going in those spaces and even beyond the screen when life allows.

For now, I’m stepping back to focus more on the present moment, on resting, on caring for my health, and on whatever comes next. I’ll miss this space and so many of you, but I’m also looking forward to what’s ahead.

So for now, I say goodnight to this beautiful chapter. Goodnight, moon. Goodnight, stars. Goodnight, Positive Living with MS.

If you ever need a reminder: You are strong, brilliant, and incredible — mighty MS warriors every one of you. Never forget that. Keep shining, keep fighting, and know I’m cheering you on from wherever this path takes me.

With love and gratitude,
Penelope

Multiple Sclerosis flipped my life upside down

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Over the years, there have been things that have tried to steal my smile. I have dealt with things that no one should have to face and still be standing to tell about it, but here I am… smiling. I tell you that because I want you to understand that we all have a dysfunctional, messed up, broken past. No one has the perfect life. We all have a past, we all have hurts, we all have dirty laundry, add to that a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and I’d say my life has been pretty messed up.

Many times we are so focused on the big things happening that we often miss the little ones that really make a difference, yet it’s those little ones that make up our days and truly make our lives go around. I think sometimes we get so busy looking for the perfect place to live, the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect kids, the perfect health, that we often forget what really makes our lives enjoyable. It isn’t the big perfect anything. What brings smiles to our faces are the little things that get us through our days and most importantly, through the hard times.

Sometimes it’s just a phone call from a friend or a person holding the door open for you at a restaurant. Sometimes it’s having a child hand you a fist full of weeds or being able to put freshly washed sheets on the bed. Sometimes it’s quiet times in the morning or noisy times at dinner. Sometimes it’s things you can’t even explain because it’s just a feeling you get deep inside.

It seems the big things are what flip our world upside down and it’s the little things that turn it right side up again. Without the little things, I think the world will end as we know it. It’s the little things that hold everything together.

Take time today to enjoy the small moments that bring you joy, and just so you don’t forget about them, take time to write them down. This way you will have a forever memory of those special moments. Fill the pages of a blank book, a notebook, a memory book, a computer text document or what I like to call a gratitude journal, with your happy thoughts; those things that made your day extra special or brought a smile to your face.

This way, when you are having a terrible upside-down day, you can read through those memories and find a smile to set things right again. Trust me… it helps. When I pull mine out and begin to read, without fail, I find myself smiling and sometimes even laughing. Those smiles and laughs, those memories… they happen because of the little things.

Make the most of your day today, live in the moment, and never forget the little things that get you through the darkest of times.

Today I didn’t grieve for my health issues

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How many days do I get up in the morning and say “Maybe my hands will work for me to get dressed without difficulties. Maybe I can get through my morning without a bathroom mishap. Maybe the pain in my body is manageable and doesn’t interfere with my quality of life. Maybe multiple sclerosis will behave and allow me to run some much needed errands.”?

Sometimes feeling lonely overwhelms me. I have sensed a feeling of abandonment more times than I care to admit. Not because of anything in particular, but just because I find it’s not that easy to get some much needed help for everyday events like preparing a meal or cleaning the house.

Recently I have noticed that I get upset easier. I have been in arguments or quarrels for no reason at all. My emotions are just on edge and have a tendency to overwhelm me. I feel like people I used to count on have moved away from my life which in a way is something to be grateful for… but still unnerving. I don’t need complicated people to complicate my already chaotic life.

Today I didn’t grieve for my health issues… I looked at my life and was thankful for my doctor which I will be seeing later in the day hoping it’s a good appointment. I looked out at how hard the wind was blowing and was thankful that I have a roof over my head, heat in the house and food in the cupboard. That I have friends and some family members who love me and contact me just to see how I’m doing.

My back porch has been setup with comfortable seating to enjoy the warmer weather when it comes and it’s been cleaned… the spring cleaning way. It was a much needed job to get done. Family came by unexpectedly and helped me out. That was a much appreciated thing to have happen. How can I show my gratitude? I feel like just saying thank you to everyone in my life isn’t enough gratitude, but it is.

I can do acts of kindness. I can perhaps slip a card of encouragement to someone secretly that I know can use it. Often, many people I see just want to talk to someone. That doesn’t cost a penny. For the most part, my time is free to give. Maybe some people won’t understand how special those kinds of times are, but I do and will still cherish them.

Today, ask yourself what you have done lately to show your gratitude for the day? Sometimes all that’s needed is our attention and looking around just to notice what’s actually there. There’s always something. What are you grateful for?