Andrew's View of the Week

Three years ago I was getting up every weekday morning at about 5:30 to get to the cancer clinic by 7:00 am for my radiation treatments.

It’s not an experience you easily forget.  It gets burnt into your being.  Every six months I still get a PSA test.  Every six months I hold my breath for two days waiting for the result.  It changes you.  You fight to be back in the innocent time before treatment.

Only, there is no going back.  The best you can do is push forward with what you have left and I am still writing these posts with the time I’ve been gifted.

Although lately, I’ve been devoting most of my writing energy for my poetry book so I won’t write much tonight.  One of the things I’ve been doing for the book has been rereading some of my old posts.  Some of these posts have poems I am revising and adding to the book, while others are source material for poems.  A couple of days ago I came across this one, Two Years, that I wrote last January.  I did something at the end of that post that I don’t normally do – predicted what I might do in the future.

Well, I thought I’d bring you up to date on a few of those things.  First, I am changing how I write this blog and what I use it for.  If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll see that I’m doing much more poetry and less long essays.  That is likely to continue.  I’ve done voice recordings for a couple of my poems.  That will continue, and I hope to start doing some short videos soon as well.

Here is the list I wrote last year with updates:

Find a new energy source for my writing – poetry is the closest I come to a new energy source.  There is just something about the poetic that gives my brain a different view and energy.

Do more marquetry work – well that hasn’t been happening but in the post I did give myself two years for this stuff.  And I do have a new marquetry piece on the workbench.

Sell a piece of my work – did that.  Donated one of my crosses to the church.  It was sold at a silent auction for about $40.  Okay, I didn’t get the money but it was bought.  Today the lady who bought it asked if I was putting anything into the auction this year.  I am – the mouse cheese boards (have six to donate).

Discover a way to retire early – still a work in progress.  Still having problems with my financial adviser as he seems to think early retirement is age 62, while I am thinking – next spring?

Improve my health – well, um.  Okay I’m still working on that.

Laugh more – I’d like to think I am, but likely my perspective on that might be a bit skewed and others might not notice my regular bursts of laughter.  Perhaps if I laughed when people where around to hear it?

Stomp in more puddles – I would, if there were puddles, but in California we’re suffering from this epic drought and there just aren’t any puddles.  Yes, I know, and you know, I meant the metaphorical puddles of engaging in childlike joys.  Can we just put this on the ‘failed’ list and move on?

Fly a kite – Actually forgot about this one.  That sounds like fun.  If I do this one, would you give me partial credit for ‘stomping in puddles?’

Let me know.

Till next week,
Andrew