nostalgia – Tate Basildon

Roller Skating, Chronic Illness, and Letting Go of My Nineteen-Year-Old Calves

At seventeen, I fell in love with roller skating—late-night practice sessions, flips, spins, even skating backwards at full speed. Decades later, with sarcoidosis, heart failure, and a novelist’s body instead of an athlete’s, I found myself wondering: could I still lace up those skates, or are some passions meant to stay in the past? This is a story about youth, health, nostalgia, and learning to admire others while letting yourself off the hook.

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When Strangers Grab Your Phone: Realizing Just How Much of My Life Lives in This Glass Box

Ever had someone snatch your phone while you were just trying to show them a picture? Twice in one day, it hit me how much of my entire life—accounts, passwords, memories, even my brain power—now lives inside this little iPhone. As a chef with sarcoidosis and heart failure who once memorized entire bank account numbers and directions without GPS, I’m wrestling with the good, bad, and ridiculous sides of tech dependence.

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Rediscovering Joy: Why Asterix & Obelix Became My Unexpected Chronic Illness Therapy

Living with chronic illness can be exhausting—but sometimes, the best medicine isn’t in a prescription bottle. For me, it came in the form of two tiny Gauls named Asterix and Obelix. This heartfelt reflection explores how nostalgia, humor, and childhood comfort shows like Asterix & Obelix help me cope with sarcoidosis, heart failure, and the unpredictable chaos of chronic illness.