Article by Cynthia L. Armistead
“A couple of years ago, I did something crazy: I went back to college nearly 20 years after I’d quit.
The time lapse isn’t the crazy part—it’s the fact that I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and myofascial pain syndrome.
While I haven’t worked outside the home since 2001, I haven’t been idle. I homeschool my daughter. I volunteer for several organizations. I am the administrative goddess for our family’s business. Nobody seems to find any of that so surprising, but going back to school? That provoked many doubting remarks and dubious looks.
I am finding that attending school while dealing with health problems is very different from blithely expecting my body to cooperate every day, or even to put up with the abuse of all-nighters.
After having to take “incompletes” in all four of my courses one semester, I finally admitted that the (bad) habits I had as an 18-year-old student simply won’t work now. I wished I had someone in my shoes to talk to, but I couldn’t find any resources. I want to share what I’ve learned, in hopes of helping other students…”
Truly, I wish that I had read this three years ago. Still, better late than never.
Toward the within... 