Advice for Living with a Disability from the Past, Part 3

Keep your friends close. Randolph Bourne, a writer from a century ago with a disability, advised cultivating interests and not allowing yourself to feel inferior. He also wrote about the importance of friendship: “Without friends I feel as if even my music and books and interests would turn stale on my hands” (quoted in The Best American Essays of the Century, p. 70).

Go hug a friend today, and feel better!

Photo: Rod Waddington, Flickr Creative Commons, https://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_waddington/35716550336/

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Darla Nagel is an editor and writing tutor who has an invisible chronic illness. She wants to help other patients and enlighten health care professionals about our experiences. If you’d like to be alerted whenever she writes a new post, sign up by e-mailing [email protected].