Several years ago, I got Erik a Christmas present that completely surprised him. I think it is the only time I genuinely surprised him in 20 years. He was dealing with the early years of Rheumatoid Arthritis when you lose the ability to do the things you enjoy. He had to quit working and could no longer do the things he enjoyed like working on cars and powerlifting. I knew that he had been in a band in college, before I knew him and that he played an electric guitar. I didn’t know anything about electric guitars, but I found a little Fender set on Amazon. The kind that comes with a bag, a little amp, the guitar and a strap. It was a gamble since RA affects your hands pretty dramatically, but I also found a few things that might make it easier to play. That guitar was part of what got him back on the road to finding new ways to live with RA.

Now it is years later, and I think Erik wants to fill all the walls in the house with guitars, usually red ones. He discusses pickups with me even though I have no idea what a pickup does or why some are active (I guess the other ones are passive? 😊 ) It was an odd gift since I am pretty hyper-sensitive to sounds but he has wireless headphones and when he wants to play something for me, he turns the volume down to human levels.

-Supergirl