In the past month, I have done almost anything but write and edit. Which is odd because I haven’t accomplished much of anything else. I edited two chapters in the House novel and written a short story. Very little else of writing importance, so it feels. The two most consistent things I have done in the past month are: walk Loyola Beach and write blog articles for someone else for cash.

It’s not all bad. I have an Understanding From Above that this ‘season’ in Chicago is going to be about Discipline no matter what form it takes. The walking it is making me aware of my lack of physical ‘capital’. My wind is weak, my belly seems to swell and shrink with the phases of the moon. Or something equally irrational. Lately my concentration and creativity for my writing are weak as well. Those all point to a need for vigorous physical activity to flood my brain with oxygen and rebuild my large muscle groups. And here come the Holidays where we tend sit, talk and overeat.  And overspend on conveniences. And not write.

My small muscles, on the other hand—dexterity of fingers especially—and the writing half of my brain seem to be on the upswing.  The blog article writing has something to do with that. It is disciplining me to research broadly, write clean, edit quickly and move on to the next thing. Add to that, my chosen ‘field’ to write blog articles about has to do with senior citizens with cognitive problems. That in itself has been eye-opening. I may well be researching my own future.

A side note here: I get these Understandings From Above sporadically. Call them wordless messages, these Hunches, Non-Woman Intuition, or whatever else. They are always general in nature but extremely accurate within that boundary.  They usually pertain to life in general, often about money or work. Sometimes love, although I try to avoid those.

Add to this mix of meander and discipline the somewhat startling fact (to me) that the Holidays begin next week! I had to check my calendar to make sure. I am not ready.  But I think I’ll save the rest of this part of the story for another time, or perhaps another blog. In the mean time, I need to get back to an article I’m writing. This one is about using social media –rather than how to travel for the holidays with your dementia-afflicted loved one.

Stay Strong and Keep Writing