Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

 
(Until El Mingo's return it doesn't seem right to hijack his Zuihitsu thread - so I'll post here instead.)

September - Multiple Personality Disorder. Heavy fleece and gloves on our morning walk - shorts and a tee by noon.

The dog pulls me along up the hill as we charge ahead towards the 1-mile mark. I've tried to limit the amount of time we spend trekking on abrasive surfaces until the bandage comes off his paw - but that happens just a few days from now, so today I give in to the temptation to go further. Besides, I think it might be fun to give those at the receiving end of the data stream from my heart monitor something to ponder: two mysterious periodic increases in heartrate, each lasting for about an hour; one starting around 8:00 am, the other around 3:30 pm. An attack of some kind? Yes - an attack of ennui. As my lungs shift into 3rd to supply oxygen to the blood flowing through them, I can't help but smile. A smile at their concerned befuddlement; a smile at the recollection that a week ago I was wired for sound in a hospital bed. I'm more aware than ever that I am mortal, and that the the lights can go out at any time - but I'm not about to hide under my bed waiting for it to happen. It's going to happen. And until it does, I intend to celebrate the fact that it hasn't.

I've lost three friends about my age in three months
I too have been sobered by this, and the sock across the jaw
that as we get into these "golden" years we will see this
hell, we could even BE this
but as the man said, we cannot live in fear nor live in the promise of death
we keep on pluggin along, til the great one pulls " the plug "
onward poet soldiers

Sasha, I love you beautifully composed account of life after a stroke. Taking with a walk with you and your dog made me happy in ways not all writing can. There is an optimism here that inspires me to be hopeful. I am happy for you and that your life has returned to a kind of normal but heightened awareness of mortality. You spend quality time with your dog out in the fresh air and lose not a moment of that joy contemplating the end we all face. I both admire and feel the joy you face each day. Thank you for sharing your personal positivity so that others like me may find hope and joy too.

John