Welcome, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. In this daily newsletter, I reflect on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully, including my struggles to maintain a balanced life, what I listen to, read, and watch for entertainment, and occasional bits of information I’ve gleaned from doing the research for my novels.
Daily Diary, Day 1290:
Yesterday, despite the increased discomfort from arthritis, I did get in three 20 minute walks, so I felt good about maintaining the full 60 minutes for the day. I also had a scheduled phone call and scheduled several other phone calls for the next week.
I got caught up with some of my reading of newsletters and almost finished the novel I have been reading.
Today, I got in my first walk, 25 minutes, and I will try to get in a second, between a morning phone call and my noon zoom meeting. After that meeting I have a scheduled call with an author who is interested in seeing what I do for marketing. She is writing what I would call self-help literature, so what works for me and what will work for her may be very different. But I can certainly share with her how I have tried to stick to marketing strategies that work for me
So, busy day, and not going to even attempt to write. On the other hand, I feel like I am getting better and better at maneuvering through a day with my right index finger immobilized by a splint.
First, I’ve made peace with the tasks I can’t do with the splint on, like washing dishes, cutting up the various vegetables that go into my salad, opening certain bottles, and I don’t seem to be able to stir up my Almond butter, so I have to ask my husband to do these tasks (which, as I may have mentioned, has revealed to me how uncomfortable I am with asking for help.)
There are other tasks that I can do, but that I have found are harder. For example, tying my shoe laces! I can do it with the splint on, but I have to do this very slowly and I feel like a child who is first learning how to tie shoelaces. Same goes with the drawstring to my sweatpants! I do these tasks multiple times a day, so I’ve had to work on not getting impatient. Putting on and taking off my compression socks are another task, one that has always been a bit of a struggle, but even more so with the splint. And flossing!!! It hurts to do without the splint on, but with the splint on, I have to be really careful I don’t poke myself in the eye with the index finger, which is sticking out rigidly.
Finally, I’m finding it difficult to put the clothes into and out of the dryer because the splint often slips off without me noticing and then I can’t find it.
Today, after I put away the groceries and was putting folding up the plastic bags for recycling. I suddenly noticed my finger was aching because somewhere along the line I have lost the splint. I looked through all the bags, then, since I just finished doing laundry, I went and checked there, still couldn’t find it, then went all over the house, checked my jacket pockets. Next, I went outside to look to see whether not it fell off as I was coming up to open the door from my last walk.
No success, so stopped looking, figuring it would show up eventually. And of course, that was when as I picked up the plastic bags which I had disassembled looking for it, I suddenly noticed it in a dark corner under the cabinets!
Made me realize that I should go and order a back-up, not only so I can wash this one, but in case I lose it again. Also reminded me of the time at least years ago, when my husband asked for my help finding his glasses (which at the time he only wore for distance) and I suddenly noticed they were pushed up on the top of his head!) He wasn’t even 60 then, but it did make us laugh uneasily about what the future might hold for both of us.
All I can say is this is these current physical problems are providing a good lesson in patience and gratitude since, for now these are temporary inconveniences.
Seems like the purples and pinkish-purples are dominating the flowers I am noticing this week, so here are a couple more from my recent walks.
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Given all that is happening with your hand, you still got a lot done...Just perhaps not your heart's desire.... Congrats on the perseverance!
You cracked me up about losing the splint. Too funny because I can so relate! 😆