I will be the first to admit wearing a mask is a pain in the ass. They are uncomfortable, hot, very unattractive and make communication difficult. Back when people started wearing them to protect their lungs from the Utah pollution I will fully admit I...
We had a very large pyracantha bush in our front yard growing up. One prick from that bush was all you needed to learn the meaning of its Latin roots. Those thorns burned like fire. Yet as a small child this was my safe...
“I just can’t stand the thought of our little Psarah being laughed at.” That was the rationale offered by Mrs. Bennett when asked why she had refused to cast me in the jr. high school play. Having been born with a very visibly obvious physical...
Everything you do requires your energy. Getting up and getting things done during your day is something most people take for granted. However, if you have a disability or chronic condition, things are very different. “How are your spoons today?” “Do you have any spoons left?” “I wish...
Some of you may be familiar with “Spoon Theory“. In short, spoon theory says that when you live with a disability, you have a limited number of spoons, or energy to do things, each day. Some days, you have more, other days less. Some days...
Before I even knew anxiety was a thing, I suffered from depression. As it turns out, one can be a side effect of the other. I’m not sure if the chicken or the egg came first with me, but now that I know what...
SALT LAKE CITY — Matchstick Theory, written and performed by Psarah Johnson, is a telling of her life and daily routine and all the emotions and pain that go along with living with a disability. Johnson’s performance was riveting and enlightening. Matchstick Theory is a show that changed...
Bone dust has a very distinct and instantly recognizable smell. Especially when it happens to be your own. It’s a smell nobody would want to grow accustomed to yet it is as familiar to me as grandma’s sugar cookies or my mother’s body lotion. Needless...
The first time I read Spoon Theory, like many others, I was inspired. As a woman who has dealt my entire life with chronic pain what grabbed my attention first was the friendship between Christine Miserandino and her friend. In any true friendship one doesn’t...
As a young, disabled woman living in the United States of Impossible Beauty Standards, it can be difficult to feel sexy. As a marginalized group, we are most likely the most under represented group in the media. Sure, we have Marley Matlin, that one chick...