Josh Hanagarne, aka The World’s Strongest Librarian has Tourette’s Syndrome. We asked him to tell us about the challenges that living with Tourette’s presents, if you aspire to a make and mend lifestyle. Here’s what he told us:
The last time I tried to cook something using a stove, I wound up putting my head onto the burner. It hurt and I couldn’t help it.
Tourette’s Syndrome usually affects people in one of two ways: they move involuntarily or they make noises involuntarily.
But there can be other weird offshoots that look a lot like obsessive compulsive disorders. For me, that’s touching hot things. Bare light bulbs, stove burners, the hood of a car on a hot day. And not just touching it with fingers, but head, shoulders, knees and toes…you get the picture.
Unfortunately, I’m married to a passionate cook. When I hear someone talk about their passion, I get excited too. But I can’t cook. Not with heat. It’s too hard and the cost usually isn’t worth it—not to mention that I am a horrible cook.
But for those occasional weekends when I am playing bachelor, I still have to eat.
Fast food does not fit in very well with my fitness and strength training obsessions. So what is a big, twitchy, healthy-minded individual to do?
I have a few pitiful specialties:
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
- Tuna
- Tuna with salsa
- Really big salads
- Cereal
- Chicken breast heated in the microwave
- Hamburger heated in the microwave
- Soup heated in the microwave
What a thrill ride, right?
At this point, I would like to turn it over to you, MakeItAndMendIt geniuses. How can a jolly fellow like myself expand his cooking repertoire and maintain a minimal amount of burn-scars?
My life is in your hands (not really, but that line made me smile)
Josh Hanagarne Get Stronger, Get Smarter, Live Better…Every Day
About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.
