Prior to the wholly unnecessary and quite draconian lockdown it became abundantly clear that the seemingly invincible free market system which is the backbone of our free society, was anything but. Toilet paper? It never occurred to me to consider it a luxury, but apparently it is. I’ve traveled a fair bit, but it really didn’t hit home until I couldn’t find any. Significant food shortages were projected to be forthcoming, and after scrambling to purchase single ply, there were no reasons to think food wouldn’t be an issue. Additionally, through no fault of our own, we have become persona non grata because our genetics predispose us to have fair skin and reddish hair. If we wanted to survive we needed to grow our own food whenever possible. And so we have to our great astonishment.
Having tasted a modicum of success thus far, we fully dedicated ourselves to transforming our home from simple domicile to a self sufficient homestead. But enough about that, a proper introduction is in order so let me start there.
First and foremost, I am a dedicated follower of Yeshua the Messiah and try to the best of my ability to live in a way that brings honor to Him. This is not a passing fancy, but is my life work. I find great satisfaction in my relationship with Him and believe wholeheartedly that many of life’s difficulties can be assuaged by becoming a follower of Yeshua. Peace beyond understanding is just the first part. Believe it or not, it actually gets better over time.
I am a husband of 31 years to Stephanie who is my favorite person in the world bar none. She’s a Marine and the love of my life without whom I would be living in a van down by the river, without a doubt. When I first met her and visited her at her work, she was bossing around prisoners. Naturally I immediately knew she would make a great mom, and I rarely pat myself on the back for being right, but wow, did I nail it.
I am the grateful dad of 5 incredible humans with endless potential. They too suffer from what racist ideologues term “privilege” not by tangible measurements, but entirely based upon the immutable characteristics of their genes. Which is poppycock and tomfoolery of course, but politicians and weak kneed CEOs are unable to resist for fear of offense. I do not suffer from this malady. You are probably wondering when I am going to actually write about my children. Well, they’re all writing their own stories with only 2 of them still at home.
My oldest child is Kayla.
My second child is Josiah
My third child is Elijah
My fourth child is Kiersten
My fifth child is Katrina
Foggy memories of a different life have the bad habit of stealing my admittedly limited (at the best of times) focus, rendering me unproductive far more than I care to admit. Narcolepsy is a pain in the backside on the best of days. Most days are not best days unfortunately.
I am an infantry Marine.
Microsoft
A sleeping disorder?
Availability without stimulants – a new way is the only choice
The reality of trying to live a functional existence with Narcolepsy without the benefit of stimulants is bleak. It’s not going to work, and severely limits earning potential. It’s unlikely anyone would hire an employee without the ability to keep a schedule, let alone stay awake for 5 minutes. Not to mention cataplexy, which just sucks and is not controllable despite the literal cocktail of meds to tame it. My only guaranteed method for managing cataplexy is napping. With it, I am able to spend some time every day with my family, albeit in a limited capacity. All too often my body is in the room and the lights are flickering and making that uncomfortable buzzing noise.
