Oh Darling Ones, Today I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind. I started the day tweeting about the Slim Dunlap family moving sale and ended it losing another client. Fuck. On both counts. If you’re not a ‘Mats person, Slim Dunlap took over for Bob Stinson. Slum suffered a stroke in 2012. Maybe you remember the whole “Songs for Slim” thing circa 2013. Slim has been on my mind a lot since surviving my…
Dear Darling Ones, Sometimes I feel like a special guest star in an 80s sitcom. You know, the plucky, sassy character with some kind of health-related issue. The one with a positive, nothing’s gonna keep me down attitude. She’s always quick with a witty quip about her condition. Think Cousin Geri from “Facts of Life” or Arnold’s friend Kathy on “Diff’ent Strokes.” She’s there to show you that everything can be overcome with a positive attitude. To teach everyone a…
Dear Darling Ones, It would be more poetic if I had my first outpatient Occupational Therapy appointment today instead of yesterday. Today marks four months since I had the stroke. My stroke? A stroke? Four months and I still don’t know how to refer to it as anything besides hot garbage. The symmetry of dates would have added extra significance to sitting next to BFK at St. Francis again, exactly four months later. BFK took me to my first OT…
Hi Darling Ones, My Aunt Tete died on June 16th — nine months to the day that her younger brother, my dad, died. Even though Sister #2 was briefly here last week for the funeral, I did not attend. I’m not ready to display my stroke-addled carcass to the world. Sister #2 talked about how weird it was to be in that space with so many people missing. Of the 10 siblings in my dad’s family, only two remain. I’m…
Dear Darling Ones, My new biggest fear is what’s going to happen to me when the novelty of my condition wears off. We’re closing on four months since the stroke, and I’m worried people are going to tire of helping me. And I still need so much help. Nobody in my life has expressed to me in any way they are annoyed by my needs, but it’s still on my mind. The lexapro I started taking during the terrible light-headedness/panic…
Hey Darling Ones, Last night I started Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer and it’s giving me fizzy, Pop Rocks brain in the best way. This is wonderful because I’m bored to death of anxious prairie dog brain, which involves my inner-monologue shouting,”EVERYTHING IS WRONG IN HERE” every 42 seconds lest I forget I had a stroke and my body is now composed of floppy scoops and lead. I’m only three chapters in, so I don’t have any real…
