I’ll be honest with you: I was at a complete loss as to what to write for this newsletter. I usually write about things that have been heavy on my mind or things that I’ve been especially excited about. But last week I had nine - NINE - implants placed into my jaw and well…I haven’t been able to form many thoughts at all. When I was giving birth to my youngest son I remember distinctly feeling at one point like I was going to split in half. Like there was no way that this baby could make it down the birth canal without a few bones breaking. And as I could feel the sound of his fat head grinding it’s way past pubic bones (or whatever is going on down there I’m not a doctor) and I was sure I was going to die all I could manage to say, with great concentration, was: “……OW.” That’s kind of how my brain has been working this week. Ow.
I’ve been trying to rest, and my brain has been too preoccupied with my discomfort for any heavy lifting, but recovery is BORING and this has been a very long week. So, I’ve decided to quickly list some things that have been getting me through these last few days.
My partner: Ok, let’s get the most sincere appreciation out of the way first. Y’all know if you’ve read even a few of my newsletters that I have an amazing partner. Well, this past week Gabriel continued to be the absolute best. He worked so hard to keep me comfortable and surrounded by milkshakes and puddings. and other foods that my very sore mouth could handle. He also just spent a good amount of time hanging out with me: talking with me, watching sows with me, or just working beside me while I slept. In addition, he stepdadded so hard. The teenager is in four different music programs in school and Gabriel chauffeured him to and fro all without complaint - even drove this kid to Factoria for a Jazz competition and spent all day camped out at a coffee shop to see if his band made the finals (they did, yay!). As Charles Mudede would say: That’s dad shit!
Clearly Canadian: When I was a kid in the late 80’s/early 90’s, I could not get enough of this shit. Then it went away and my days of begging my grandparents to buy me some whenever we went to Costco were over. But then, they brought it back!! And it’s even better than I imagined? Ok, so, I hate water. Water is boring and gross. So when Gabriel was trying to find m something to drink while I was recovering that wasn’t super sweet but also wasn’t water (ew), he picked up some Clearly Canadians and y’all - I’ve drank so many that I’m pretty sure I am Canadian now. That’s how that works right? Clearly. (See what i did there? Please don’t unsubscribe)
Anxiety Meds: I said in a recent post that I had started taking a regular anxiety med (buspirone) and it had made a big difference in my ability to use the tools that I’ve been working on in therapy to help with stressful situations. Well, with a swollen, painful face and nothing better to do all day than imagine all of the things that could go wrong in your life - you can imagine how grateful I was for medication that dulled the edges of my intrusive thoughts this week.
Linocuts: If there’s one thing to know about me it’s that I love a hobby - even more than I hate water! I have been watching videos of linocut printing for weeks now, debating on whether or not I was going to make this the new thing that I obsessed over for a few months - spending a ridiculous amount of time and money until I was sure that I was good at it and then deciding to never ever touch said hobby again. About four days after surgery, still not ready to return to work but also bored out of my mind, I bought a little lino kit. And it’s so fun. I’ve absolutely decided that this is a thing I will swear I’ll do forever for at least four months.
Shrinking: The tv show - not shrinking like, as a person - I’ve been eating ice cream for a week and I have no regrets! Anyways, I love this show so much. I hated the show How I Met Your Mother a lot and I had no interest in seeing any rebirth of Marshall in another show, so I avoided the show at first. But I love Jessica Williams, and the few clips she shared on social media convinced me to give it a try. What a lovely, hilarious show. I love a show where every character has their own full personalities. And while the show still centers a man who definitely needs to grow up like in HIMYM - unlike How I Met Your Mother, the women in the show don’t exist solely to help him do so! It’s a delight, really. And Harrison Ford is in his finest form as the cranky old man he has always been his entire life.
Remarkably Bright Creatures: This was a book I finished last week and it’s about an octopus named Marcellus who solves a mystery. I mean…I don’t have to say anything else do I?
Okay, that’s all for now. Next week I’ll be more fully out in the world and will likely have more to talk about than my favorite Canadian sodas. But what’s been getting you through stressful times lately? Leave your faves in the comments.
I recently learned how to make vessels from wool fiber and have completely fallen in love with this process called wet felting. I have adhd and falling intensely in love with a new activity scares me - all the old voices that say "you're not gonna stick with it anyway! Why bother getting all the supplies? Next week they''ll lay idle."
Well so what if we want to do something forever for the next 4 months. It's a deep, abiding, intense love and I'd rather have that joy than not try at all. Who knows, it may turn into a practice.
I wish you continued recovery - and more discovery, too.
Clearly Canadian is the faux soda of my childhood! I need to find some immediately, so I can resume my Canadian citizenship dreams... As to your "forever/four months" hobby, when I was a kid, a friend of our family used to offload her sick-of-it projects to me which is why I, in the year of our Lord 2023, still have "Stampin' Up" stamps and ink pads from sometime in the late 80's, round looms for knitting, and...wait for it... one lone LATCH HOOK kit.
Hope this brought a teensy smile to your sore face. I wish you health.