Doing new things and planning for 2020

 I was recently home all day and had the time to submit some of my writing for publication. Thanks to my office assistant, Corie, this was done quickly and well. Having an assistant is a huge help, and Corie is so easy to have around. 

Here is a link to one of the submissions. My poem was published by Your Daily Poem, a wonderful poetry online journal. You can read it here: 
http://yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3204


I feel much better about things since I saw my favorite doctor, my cardiologist, who said I was doing fine and he found no problems. My arteries are not filled with plaque and tests show I am doing well. In fact, he said that I was far younger than my chronological years.
He encouraged me to continue with my work and doing what I enjoy, but just do a little less and not overdo. 

So I have begun working on writing events for 2020.
I hope to set up writing classes for the summer at Moss Memorial Library. I will teach a four week course at Tri-County College in March. 

For many years I have taught writing and had guest instructors teach at my studio, but I see the need for changes. I will make my priority lists and be sure to save time for my own writing, submitting and promoting my work.

I hope to have more of our NCWN-West members teach and host events in the coming year. The more they are involved, the better chance of our writing organization continuing even when or if I am no longer the leader. We have some wonderful folks in our group, and I see them taking care of business in the future.

Meanwhile, I have a new laptop computer and working hard to learn all the new bells and whistles. I am in process of proof reading a manuscript for a former student. I hope she sticks with it and publishes her book one day.

I had become a person with Pain Brain.
The chronic pain I have had the past couple of years had almost consumed me until my physical therapist talked to me about pain brain. When all I think about is my pain and what I must do for the pain, I am letting other parts of my life fall by the wayside. Pain management is a complex business. It takes more than pain meds.

I have been letting pain dictate who I am and what I can do. I will not do that. Pain is just something I must deal with, but it will not consume me. As I have done in the past, I will find a way to continue with what I love. As a friend told me recently, we are getting older, but we are not done for, and we still do most of the things we like to do. We can't let our chronological age determine who we are or what we accomplish. After all, octogenarians and people in their nineties are living happy lives. 

For the past couple of days my sister, Gay, has been here with me. What a joy for Lexie and me when she comes. 

Look at this lovely lady, my younger sister, dancing at a Showcase recently. She had a great time and looked terrific. She is chronologically younger than I, and  much healthier and younger than her chronological age. 

Gay Moring with her dance partner

Once a dancer, always a dancer

She is a big inspiration for me. We all need to find what we enjoy doing most and just do it. I tell my friends and family who are much younger than I, "Don't wait until you retire, or wait for the best time, just go on now and take that trip or learn something new, start a business if that is what you always wanted, because you don't know what tomorrow brings."