Much daily life becomes inaccessible to chronically ill people. And although I still work part time as a rabbi, chaplain, writer, and activist, and I am also an artist, husband, and friend, I am frequently asked whether I am anxious to get back to my “life” — as if being ill precludes living. Even in the months when I have been too sick to do anything, my life of being has still been meaningful. As a rabbi-chaplain, I meet countless sick people who are not productive, but who are nevertheless still precious. Even sick and disabled people who are not “inspiring” have a right to exist. To me, a life of illness is another complex and beautiful way of being human.