Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
“I can’t process your application with the information I’ve been given,” the woman on the phone is officious, likely hates her job, I theorize. “Your doctor has only sent me four medical reports; there is not enough here to support an inability to work.” I might have guffawed at this. “I can barely manage day-to-day […]
Read MoreI’m waiting in the RV for my husband to finish shopping and drive us away. This is how a recent dream begins. For over thirty years now, I have been recording and working with my dreams as a means to personal growth. Often, where the dream takes place establishes context. For me, currently disabled and […]
Read MoreTale as old as time, True as it can be, Barely even friends, Then somebody bends, Unexpectedly I awaken every morning with a song playing in my head, like an internal radio that self tunes. Typically, it is a line or two which follows me throughout my day: a personal theme song, I like to […]
Read MoreWearing a bright yellow taffeta dress, a sash of satin ribbons at the waist and flowing with swirling layers, my granddaughter arrives for the movie. We’ve been trying to get in to see Beauty and the Beast for weeks now and finally secured tickets. “Well look at you!” I exclaim, arms open to receive her […]
Read MoreThe challenge, when dealing with a chronic illness – in my case ME/CFS – is staying positive. Momentary improvements in health are toppled by extreme crashes. It’s like living in an eddy where, every once a while, the current quiets and it feels as if there might be an escape, and then the weather shifts […]
Read MoreI keep dreaming about young men: confidant, seductive, virile young men. In my dreams, they cozy up to me, offer promises of love, and always, I remember who I am – a dried up old woman condemned to disability – and wake up…reluctantly. Thing is, men have always been a mystery to me, like a […]
Read MoreProlonged illness almost always equates to isolation. Initially, kindness reveals itself through visits from friends and coworkers, meals dropped off, and many offers to help in any way. Not yet adjusted to my rapidly changing situation, I was overwhelmed and somewhat embarrassed by such an outpouring, having always considered myself strong and independent. Perhaps, I […]
Read MoreListen to your body. Glib advice, especially if ignoring the body is habitual, and compliance is not listed as a character trait. What would my body have to say, I wonder. My legs, stiff and inflexible, lumbering along like Frankenstein; are they telling me to put them up, resign myself to rest? My arms, heavy […]
Read MoreIf there was a reset button that automatically settled us back into our home lives, I would tell you that my husband and I just returned from a great adventure, unsurpassed by Aladdin and Jasmine’s magical carpet ride, however; both would be fictitious tales. We did find adventure, and laughter, and release from day-to-day stresses, […]
Read More“I feel like we’re on the edge of a whole new life,” I tell my husband as we cruise through the Santa Rosa Conservation area, nothing but white sand dunes and water on either side of us. “I feel it too. I just want to keep on going.” It’s our fifth week in the RV, […]
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One Woman's Quest II 