I have been a member of Helium since early 2007. For a while I was very active in the Community Forums. I completely dropped off the radar in October 2007. I was finally able to return to Helium, and found my home away from home had grown beyond anything I could have imagined. In spite of that, my old friends were still here and welcomed me back with open arms. I think that communities with this type of longevity and caring are rare, especially on the internet. I am proud and grateful to be here.

At heart, I am a lazy person. I would be the ideal candidate for one of those floating chair things in Disney's Wall-E. Since physical laziness isn't possible to the extent that I wish it was, I turned my attention to figuring out ways to get the most out of whatever I'm doing. I ride the bus sometimes. That gets me fresh air & exercise, saves gas and gives me time to think. I take improvisation lessons. That gets me out there with new friends, laughter, exercise and countless other benefits.

I mention all that because I want to explain why the Community Forums are so important to me. First, there are the obvious advantages of communities everywhere, networking, connections and socializing, but there is more.

Put any group number of people together, and there are going to be tensions and misunderstandings. Using language to work through, soothe and try to prevent these things from getting out of hand is wonderful practice for my writing. I also use what I learn in the forums in "real world" situations.

My favorite place in the forums, by far, is the Writing Critique Forum. I read things there that I would not normally read. I get to practice active kindness. I learn by reading the critiques of other people and comparing them to what I think. I have learned how to separate what I think about a subject from the way an author has written about that subject, and I have learned (I hope it is true to say) how to critique the presentation of the content without critiquing the content itself. That is a hard one.

I have been given the honor of moderating the Writing Critique Forum, and I invite everyone to come and participate. Bring an article (or more) for the community to look at and help you with, or bring yourself to help others. All you need is an opinion. "I like it" or "I'm not sure what I think about that" is more than enough.

Enough of the serious. Back to `moi`!

I like reading trashy romance novels. Those help my writing, too. Seriously, it takes work to say the same thing over and over again but in different ways. They build your descriptive vocabulary if nothing else.

I am interested in neurology and psychology. The way, why and how we think is fascinating.

I love my children more than anything on this planet, but I still want to know how they managed to become teenagers when it seems like I was just giving birth last week!

Peace

My passion is ...

SLEEP - My "Indian" name is Princess Wannasleep.

I know too much about ...

Nothing. I know just the right amount about what I know.

My parents always told me ...

You don't have to win an argument in the moment. It is often enough to plant a "seed" and let the other person grow into your idea on their own.

My childhood ambition ...

I always wanted to be unique, and yet not weird. I'm still working on that.

My favorite memory ...

It is recent. I was helping Carol Gray (creator of Social Stories (TM)) with an article, and she decided to list me as a co-author. This is my first published article in black and white.

Why I write ...

I have too much to say and people won't sit still long enough to hear it all.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I love trashy romance novels! I have a good excuse, too. You can expand your knowledge of adjectives. Honestly, romance authors have to be able to describe the same thing over and over again, yet differently. That's my story...

My first job ...

I worked for my parents in their office supply store.

My best moment ...

This is sad... I chose to turn away from my best friend because she was having an affair. I still love her miss her, but I am glad I didn't let her bully me and stayed true to my beliefs.

My inspiration ...

My children. They are both on the autism spectrum and I constantly have to think of new ways to get ideas, especially abstract ones, across to them.

Health & Fitness > Medical Issues (Other) Causes of chronic fatigue syndrome

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was first identified in 1988. It was met with skepticism because the disorder seemed to affect young, urban professionals and earned the moniker "yuppie flu". Doubt is still prominent about the validity of the disorder among the public and even some medical professionals, however Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is real. There is no cure, no standard treatment, no defined cause and lasts for years. In fact, some people struggle with the symptoms for years before receiving the diagnosis.

There is not even consensus in the medical community about which causes can be rule...

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