Getting Real About MS, Spring with Butterflies and Flowers Etc, and Writing Practices for Summer

First Swallowtail Sighting on Rhododendron

Getting Real About MS

It’s lovely springtime here but I’ve been stuck in bed with some terrible MS-related nerve pain called trigeminal neuralgia. I want to keep it real here, including the MS stuff, and I know I post a lot of happy pictures looking fine, but the last few days, I was decidedly not fine. It was the first time in a while I had to pick up five different nerve-pain prescriptions in the hopes that one of them would work. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t read. I had TCM on constantly (along with Netflix comedies – Wine Country and Unicorn Store – the first is inspo for X-ers turning 50 and the second for millennials seeking their inner unicorn.) I couldn’t chew food because of the pain so I had an impromptu involuntary juice fast. While I was stuck in bed I did manage some pictures of the first Tiger Swallowtail of the season, a towhee on my flower box, a hummingbird on the neighbor’s lilac. But it was no fun. I missed a couple of friends’ literary events I’d wanted to go to. That’s kind of how my life is now – I’ll be fine, or have minor symptoms, and then WHAM! I’m out of commission. Hard to plan around, hard to manage. I’m getting another MRI next week to make sure there hasn’t been more brain damage or spine damage. Think good thoughts for me.

Spring with Flowers, Birds, Etc.

Well, of course, it wouldn’t be a real post from me without a few pictures of birds and flowers. I continued getting rejections this week, along with the MS stuff (and this week also featured a trip to the dentist and my regular doc for a sinus infection, so all around fun times) but we did manage to sneak in one afternoon at the Seattle Japanese Gardens where all the flowers seemed to be blooming at once – azaleas, rhodies, wisteria, even lily of the valley. I was feeling a little depressed this week even before the horrible MS pain thing acted up, feeling like, “Oh, I’ve got a degenerative brain disease that has no cure, and oh, no one wants to publish me, and our country hates women (as do the Game of Thrones writers, but that’s another story) and…” Well, that was enough to make me feel pretty bad. There are no magic words that take away those feelings, but putting myself around nature always helps. That’s probably why I spend so much time photographing all those birds and flowers when I’m able to. Even from bed, I can take pictures of the flowers and birds on my back deck. Being able to recognize beauty in the midst of a bad week still matters. And baby animals. I have faith there are better days ahead. Which leads me to…my summer writing plans!

Writing Plans for the Summer

It’s the middle of spring, but I’m already thinking of my writing and reading plans for the summer. Summer can be a tough time to stay focused, a tough time to submit (as many lit magazines aren’t open for submissions during the summer), and it can be hard to get together with writer friends if you’re not on the residency/writing conference circuit. The days get longer and sitting inside with a good book can be less appealing, the heat can cause health problems (MS gets worse in sun and heat, so good thing I don’t still live in San Diego I guess!). and it just takes more discipline.

What do you do to keep on track during the summer? I find my writing slows down a bit, and I definitely submit less. I’m thinking it’s a good time to try new modes of writing, a little dab of essay, or fiction, or memoir, or just new forms of poetry. Maybe I’ll work on my two book manuscripts or even start a third! I’ll have more indoors time (ironically, for me it’s the season where I have to avoid midday sun or stay indoors on especially hot days) so maybe I’ll start some inspiring new books (still reading memoirs and letters by female writers, but maybe pick up some “for fun” fiction. I’ll try to set up a few friend dates and maybe even try a few day trips to Bainbridge, Port Townsend, and other places we don’t get to visit as often as we’d like in the rainy season. This morning it’s cool and the birds are singing outside. I’m feeling almost back to normal and ready to respond to e-mails, maybe write some poetry and send out some work.

Tell me your plans for the summer! What are your goals and tricks to keep on your writer path?