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Thu, Jan 8, 2026

3:18pm EST

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Seven Degrees Left of Center

by Dale Ricky

Rated: 13+ · Book · Personal · #2276168

Each day feels new, and my memory of the one before is faint. I’m learning to adapt.

In September 2019, a seizure revealed a lime-sized meningioma pressed against my hippocampus—the part of the brain that governs memory and language. The doctors said it was benign, but benign didn’t mean harmless.

Surgery removed the tumor, and three days later I opened my eyes to a new reality. I could walk, I could talk, but when I looked at my wife, her name was gone. I called her Precious—the only word I could find. A failure of memory, yet perhaps the truest name of all.

Recovery has been less cure than re-calibration. Memory gaps are frequent. Conversations vanish. I had to relearn how to write, letter by halting letter. My days are scaffold by alarms, notes, and calendars.

When people ask how I am, I don’t list symptoms or struggles. I simply say, “Seven Degrees Left of Center.” It’s not an answer—it’s who I’ve become.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Jayne

Jan 2, 2026 at 11:39am
In response to "I Wrote a Novel"

This is great! Congratulations 🎉

Amethyst Snow Angel

Jan 2, 2026 at 10:28am
In response to "I Wrote a Novel"

I'm proud of you! That's an accomplishment I haven't tried yet myself. Maybe this year...

JACE

Jan 2, 2026 at 9:51am
In response to "I Wrote a Novel"

I wonder if I keep telling myself these things, I'll write my novel, too. I did pen two NaNoWriMo novels a dozen or so years ago. But I think I just wrote the required 50K words. Perhaps I should go back and re-read what I wrote. It might be possible.

Amethyst Snow Angel

Dec 31, 2025 at 8:16am
In response to "The Practice of Showing Up"

What a beautiful way to accept yourself and welcome the new year. Wishing you all the best

Amethyst Snow Angel

Dec 29, 2025 at 9:34am
In response to "The Difference a Year Makes"

You're a treasure, sir

Best wishes for 2026, and do please keep us in your loopy loop

Amethyst Snow Angel

Dec 26, 2025 at 7:51am
In response to "Seven Degrees Left of Center With a Guitar"

OMG, what a glorious gift! Delving into music creation is like learning a new language: it activates a part of the brain you didn't even know was there. I remember opening up GarageBand on my iPad and being blown away by my own cluelessness. Best wishes on your new guitar and playing it! I'm thrilled for you

JACE

Dec 20, 2025 at 9:30am
In response to "Reflecting on the Suck"

Obviously, I can't understand all you've gone and are going through. But I can understand your use of the phrase. I'm approaching a year (Dec 28) that started a journey culminating in a diagnosis of Stage 4 Kidney cancer. Turns out after my surgery in April that diagnosis was wrong. I was very lucky, and while I'm not sure the suck was really long enough to fully embrace, I do worry the Drs didn't get it all. Scans and tests are my life for the next three to five years. And worry.

You are a strong man. And I pray the best for you.

1 Like

Amethyst Snow Angel

Dec 20, 2025 at 7:34am
In response to "Reflecting on the Suck"

Thank you for being here with us, Dale. I've learned a lot from you about perseverance and innovation. Sending prayers for a satisfying holiday season for you

2 Like

JACE

Dec 16, 2025 at 9:37am
In response to "6 a.m., Second Half"

A win is A WIN! No matter how small it seems, it buoys you up. Savor it as it happens.

JACE

Dec 5, 2025 at 8:27am
In response to "What Was I Thinking?"

It's funny you should mention this very topic. I've always lived by an adage I read in a Tom Clancy book (Debt of Honor): "If you don't write it down, then it never happened." I live by those words and keep a small notebook on me at all times.

Lately, I've noticed every so often that I jot down a short point, and when I look at it some days later, I find I didn't add enough 'meat' to the thought to remember exactly where I was going with it. There's a phrase that Sec of Defense Pete Hegseth has used (incorrectly) recently: "It's the fog of war." Maybe my issue is the fog of memory. Yikes!

I hope you're right and our future selves will sort it out.

January 7, 2026 at 7:56am

#1105356

Good Morning WdC

Today I woke up knowing it is a good day. Today is a good day to talk about Seven Degrees Left of Center.

Not because I planned it. Because my brain feels energized and my mood is good. The gears are turning without resistance. The coffee is here, but it doesn’t have to work so hard this morning.

That matters more than people realize.

When your brain is foggy or tired, everything leans. Thoughts drift. Focus slips. Writing feels like pushing uphill. But on mornings like this, things sit closer to center. Not perfect. Just aligned enough to get the words on the screen.

That’s what Seven Degrees Left of Center has always been about for me. Not fixing the brain. Not chasing some old version of myself. Just learning what it feels like when things line up well enough to move forward.

Today is one of those days.

I don’t feel rushed. I don’t feel stuck. I don’t feel like I have to force words onto the page. I’m awake, I’m engaged, and I want to write.

The coffee is good, but it isn’t doing all the work today.
Feeling better after two weeks of COVID helps more.

I’ll take a day like this when it shows up and use it while it’s here.

Comment

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