My calendar used to be filled with meetings, volunteer gigs, poetry workshops and readings, family events, and music rehearsals and concerts.
Now, it’s mostly medical appointments.
I am still holding on to singing with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton. We are coming up on performance week, which will be a challenge with my diminished energy.
Maybe this next round of tests and specialists will get to a full diagnosis and some kind of treatment to improve my situation. I know that it is unlikely to be fully reversed but I’m trying to retain hope that I can bring back the most important abilities and activities I can’t manage now.
If that happens, maybe my calendar will have somewhat fewer medical appointments and more poetry – with some more travel to see family and outings with friends.
Maybe that can even happen later in 2025.
It depends on what happens with the tests and doctor visits that are in those calendar boxes this spring…
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “calendar.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-22-2025/

Hoping for more fun, social activities on your calendar, Joanne. Sending some positive energy your way, that you will be able to get past the doctor appointments, find healing and energy, and enjoy the latter half of this year.
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Thanks so much, Mary! I appreciate your well wishes!
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Joanne, I hope you will be feeling better soon. I had a similar situation in the mid-2010s vs 2019-20: in the former, my schedule was mostly helping family members, poetry workshops, volunteer work, meetings, and team trivia with friends (when I wasn’t working on my books). In 2019 I had a serious illness, so my normal schedule was upended. Then, about five months after my normal life returned, Covid hit, then an unrelated illness for me. By the time I had recovered, I began thinking about moving closer to family members after my mom passed away. It took me a while, but I found a group of good people to share poetry with. They are much more supportive than the man who hosted the open mikes in Binghamton.
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I’m so sorry for all the illnesses, losses, and upheavals, Bob, but grateful to know that you are near family now and have a poetry community.
One of the difficulties with my condition is that it’s unknown whether I will be able to get my brain back to its accustomed state. My creativity has been severely impacted and I’m not sure I will ever make it back to my poetry in a meaningful way. It’s difficult.
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I’m glad you’re holding on to singing with the Madrigal Choir. Singing with a choir takes a fair amount of energy, but it also gives us energy, in my experience. Prayers on the way for helpful results!
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Thanks, JoAnna! By the end of rehearsal, I’m usually so drained that I have to sit still for a couple of extra minutes before I can stand up, but I’m grateful to still be able to contribute.
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Take all the time you need to recover.
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Here’s hoping that you actually get the help you need so that you can improve and go back to living the life you want.
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Thanks, Devon. It’s difficult right now because, while we are, I think, closer to a full diagnosis, my condition is worsening and I can’t even figure out whom to talk to about it.
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“Fewer medical appointments and more poetry.” ❤️🙏
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Thanks, Ellen.
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