I’ve blamed a lot of my aches and pains lately on being 49½, raising two kids with autism (one profoundly affected), and spending 24 years teaching preschoolers with autism. It felt like a reasonable explanation—of course I’m tired, of course I hurt.

But it turns out… I shouldn’t have been walking around in constant pain.

Thanks to one of my paraprofessionals (also known as my “work mom”) and my personal trainer—who both insisted (read: lovingly nagged) that I see a doctor—I finally got some answers. And now, I have a diagnosis… and a not-so-fashionable accessory to go with it, just like Alyssa.

The truth is, I genuinely thought constant pain was normal. One of my biggest faults is always putting others first. My kids come first. My students come first. My husband, my friends… sometimes even complete strangers. I rarely put myself first. My go-to excuse? “When would I even have time to see a doctor?”

At the start of 2026, I made a goal to focus more on me—my health, my well-being, my needs. It’s still very much a work in progress, but this felt like a step in the right direction.

The good news? My prognosis isn’t bad. Nothing a month in a boot can’t (hopefully) fix.

Here’s to slowing down, listening to our bodies, and remembering that taking care of ourselves matters too.

Happy summer.