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 Each day is new; my recollection of the previous day is minimal. I’m learning to adapt. |
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Following a severe seizure, an MRI revealed a tumor the size of a lime in my brain. September 2019 is when this occurred. Situated one inch left and seven degrees from the center of my brain, the tumor touched the hippocampus. The part of the brain that handles language and memory. When someone wants to know how I am doing? My reply is, “Seven Degrees Left of Center”. |
| When you share your writing, it will influence those who read it to some degree. I mean, that is what writing is about, isn't it? The art of communicating influence? Influence is a topic I am learning. What am I trying to influence in Seven Degrees Left of Center? The short sentence, "Encouragement to be patient in healing and brave in sharing the experience." However, that is starting to take on a different goal. After five years, my brain has recovered and adapted as much as it is going to. My entries in this blog are mostly self-serving. I've been encouraging myself to keep writing. Now, I would like to encourage others to write and share their experiences. I know this blog doesn't get many views. But, if you are reading this, I encourage you to write with the knowledge that what you write and share will influence someone along the way. It is scary to share thoughts and experiences. It is rewarding to know someone might be encouraged because of it. |
| I admire the people who can achieve the five, 7 badges in a week. This will be just one day for me. So I'll keep this short. Write on ... Write on ... |
| I have neglected my fountain pen collection for the past several months. I have also neglected my snail mail friends. Well, on Monday, I started cleaning the pens and writing letters to those neglected friends. So far, two letters have been completed. Seems I should have done more than that by now. My therapist encouraged me to get going again. Like any muscle, the writing you stop using, you start losing. So, keep on writing. |
| I start each day by reviewing notes from the previous day and the days before. My memory gap is about five days. Something that happens today will not be processed immediately. After five days, the memory moves from the broken short-term memory storage to the long-term memory library. The challenge is learning and adapting to the disconnect. Writing regularly helps. Reviewing and rewriting the things I want to remember. Advanced planning is also a valuable tool. Planning a task a week in advance will help process through the gap. This increases the odds I will remember what I need to when I need to. |
| Today, I was not a good steward of my time. However, I did finish reading a book. Other than that, it was a set on my ass day. The rain didn't help. Yet, I had the opportunity to write and chose not to. Since I have a hard time remembering yesterday, I need to stay on a routine. The routines are what get me through each day. I have to admit it gets exhausting sometimes. I need to stop complaining. Alas, I will not remember today tomorrow anyway. Still, it is crucial to be a good steward of time. Once it is gone, you will never get it back. Try to spend it wisely. |
The generations do change. What was once "cool" is now "fire." At least according to my grandson. When did I find this out? This 4th of July. My grandson kept saying, "That's fire." When in reality something "cool" happened. A complete role reversal has taken place with these words. And here, I thought he was referring to the fact that fireworks, well, are literally fire? Anyway, we had a fabulous 4th of July that was both "cool" and "fire" depending on your birth date. |
| I ran into an old friend last night. Someone I haven't seen or thought about since the stroke and tumor took away the neural pathways of memory. It scared him a bit because the instant I started speaking, I did not recognize him. I could not pull up his name. Yet, I knew he was someone I should know. That confusion was too much for him, and the meeting became short. I don't blame him for being set back. As usual, 15 minutes later, I started remembering how we knew each other. In fact, we had worked together for several years. I hope he wasn't insulted. Though, I could tell he didn't understand why I couldn't remember. My wife tried to explain that I had memory loss. He then seemed more nervous, and the encounter shortened to a short minute. The encounter caught him off guard. If we run into each other again, I hope for a better exchange and experience. |
| Just like doing laundry with clothes, I have to clean up my writing. That task of cleaning up the details and finding the loop hose. This is the hardest part of the writing process for me. Killing my darlings, if you will. Often, I rarely kill them. I put them aside for another adventure or phrase somewhere else for another time. Why waste the work? However, there is a time when a character or scene has to die. |
| It's time to get back to writing again. The vacation was excellent. At first, I thought I would keep writing. No, the lake weather and general atmosphere took hold. Now I'm back at my desk, and the keyboard is cold—it's time to get back to clicking. |
| I thought I could stay away during my vacation. I was wrong. The first couple of days were okay. Now I am bored. Here I am, writing a blog post. It might have been easier if I didn't bring my computer. I knew deep down I couldn't stop writing for more than a couple of days. That is the nature of the beast, right? So, write on and on, even on break. |
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That's cool and fire in itself 
Take care 
Are you taking fish oil? It’s supposed to help the brain.