Bed-Ridden, Year-End, Under the Weather Reflections on Future Goals & Vision, the Editing of Narratives & the Unexpected Insights about Writing and Relationships
Awesome work Mark. Kudos for mining the depths of your soul and psyche to produce this piece, and, more importantly, the discoveries within it. I'm in the midst of a cold myself - you describe it so perfectly. Though I don't expect to produce anything that makes nearly as much sense as this does. Well done.
Oh my... so deep and rich. Sometimes letting go brings rewards. I love this part:
"What if her feelings and capacity to feel joy had nothing to do with me? What if I’m not as important to her as I would like to believe? What if she is walking through a new phase, something independent of me and our relationship? Could this be a natural evolution or are these changes induced from actions from her as an empowered individual?"
Each of those questions is gold... and perhaps exploring more through your writing.
Thank you, James. I'm touched. I'm really happy that the piece spoke to you in such a meaningful way. Indeed, if self-narratives are just stories, why couldn't they be revised?
I wanted to get up and dance as you came to the conclusion you aren't responsible for your partner's joy levels. The thaw has begun indeed. So much rich imagery in your piece. This was my favorite. "It became clear to me that this paper-thin imprecisely folded origami boat of ideas wasn’t resilient enough to make a crossing to the sacred Isles of Meaning."
"I wanted to get up and dance" Wow. Thank you, Rick. This speaks to me deeply on so many levels. LOL- Maybe it's not too crazy to think that the quality of a story is proportional to how much it inspires dance in our readers. Thanks for going on this ride with me, Rick! Onward!
Here we go! Onward to 2025! Writers, Storytellers, Word Wranglers: May all your stories you write this year stir a dance among your readers. Whoop! Whoop! LOL.
Mark, the line about joy and control hit hard - like, are we all just walking around with these busted compasses, hoping for a map? This piece is so good. Honestly, I think your cold deserves a writing credit.
Lot of good laughs here. The 3rd act is next level. Made me think a lot about how we heal, physically. How different people handle being sick and caring for others. And how we each have our own ways of fixing things on the page. Finding someone who can understand what works for you is worth everything, in both of those scenarios. I would’ve never put these two together if not for this essay. Love unexpected combinations like this. Well done and thank you Mark!
Love this. I tend to argue and beat myself up when I fall sick - which happens a lot thanks to Delhi smog.
It reminds me, while not for writing, about falling sick 2 years ago. It hit me like a hammer and reminded me how limiting the body can be if it isn't treated right.
I read this as an account of your acceptance of what you can't control and being okay with it - the circle of control is a tough idea to apply in reality.
Such a beautiful piece, Mark. Like Rick, I wanted to dance at the end! Your capacity for honest reflection is both humbling and inspiring. If wisdom were snow, there’s at least 6 feet dropped here. I was particularly taken by this observation: “What if her feelings and capacity to feel joy had nothing to do with me? What if I’m not as important to her as I’d like to believe?”
Once again, reading your work is a great joy. The flu hit me badly 2nd half of last month, startig from the throat. My brain simply was in sabotage mode, completely functionless for 2 weeks.
Awesome work Mark. Kudos for mining the depths of your soul and psyche to produce this piece, and, more importantly, the discoveries within it. I'm in the midst of a cold myself - you describe it so perfectly. Though I don't expect to produce anything that makes nearly as much sense as this does. Well done.
Thanks, Alex! I appreciate this. Glad some of this stuff resonated. But I do hope you feel better! Certainly been there. LOL.
Oh my... so deep and rich. Sometimes letting go brings rewards. I love this part:
"What if her feelings and capacity to feel joy had nothing to do with me? What if I’m not as important to her as I would like to believe? What if she is walking through a new phase, something independent of me and our relationship? Could this be a natural evolution or are these changes induced from actions from her as an empowered individual?"
Each of those questions is gold... and perhaps exploring more through your writing.
Thanks Linda! I appreciate your take on this. Yes - I hear you! These questions are so rich!
Mark - as Kathy said, beautiful rich. I really loved this reflection on your question about your partners joy:
“Yes, the bond with her is real, and yes, it hurts when it breaks.
But I could see this question, this final benevolence from my viral editor, as a spark, inviting a brand new revision to my narrative.”
What an awareness of the stories that run in the background of our heads and that we can change them.
This was a big contribution to me. 🙏
Thank you, James. I'm touched. I'm really happy that the piece spoke to you in such a meaningful way. Indeed, if self-narratives are just stories, why couldn't they be revised?
Beautifully rich. Tugs at the heart.
Lovely writing.
Thanks Kathy! I'm really happy that it connected with you.
I wanted to get up and dance as you came to the conclusion you aren't responsible for your partner's joy levels. The thaw has begun indeed. So much rich imagery in your piece. This was my favorite. "It became clear to me that this paper-thin imprecisely folded origami boat of ideas wasn’t resilient enough to make a crossing to the sacred Isles of Meaning."
"I wanted to get up and dance" Wow. Thank you, Rick. This speaks to me deeply on so many levels. LOL- Maybe it's not too crazy to think that the quality of a story is proportional to how much it inspires dance in our readers. Thanks for going on this ride with me, Rick! Onward!
The Dance Factor! What a great metric to track by for this year. How many people can we make dance (internally or for real)? With you on this one.
Here we go! Onward to 2025! Writers, Storytellers, Word Wranglers: May all your stories you write this year stir a dance among your readers. Whoop! Whoop! LOL.
Mark, the line about joy and control hit hard - like, are we all just walking around with these busted compasses, hoping for a map? This piece is so good. Honestly, I think your cold deserves a writing credit.
LOL - “I think your cold deserves a writing credit.” Heck ya! I couldn’t agree more. LOL.
Lot of good laughs here. The 3rd act is next level. Made me think a lot about how we heal, physically. How different people handle being sick and caring for others. And how we each have our own ways of fixing things on the page. Finding someone who can understand what works for you is worth everything, in both of those scenarios. I would’ve never put these two together if not for this essay. Love unexpected combinations like this. Well done and thank you Mark!
Thanks Matt. “Finding someone who can understand what works for you is worth everything”. So true in love and in editing.
Love this. I tend to argue and beat myself up when I fall sick - which happens a lot thanks to Delhi smog.
It reminds me, while not for writing, about falling sick 2 years ago. It hit me like a hammer and reminded me how limiting the body can be if it isn't treated right.
I read this as an account of your acceptance of what you can't control and being okay with it - the circle of control is a tough idea to apply in reality.
(trying to read more Stoicism as well)
Thanks, Ved! Ya - surprising when the body will let you know it's in charge. Indeed, check out the Stoics -- I find their wisdom intriguing.
Such a beautiful piece, Mark. Like Rick, I wanted to dance at the end! Your capacity for honest reflection is both humbling and inspiring. If wisdom were snow, there’s at least 6 feet dropped here. I was particularly taken by this observation: “What if her feelings and capacity to feel joy had nothing to do with me? What if I’m not as important to her as I’d like to believe?”
LOL - "If wisdom were snow, there's at least 6 feet dropped here." Thanks Simon! Break out the pipes, there's a jig in there somewhere. LOL
We should duet! I bet the banjitar sounds great with the pipes
Heck ya! Anytime! Lol.
Once again, reading your work is a great joy. The flu hit me badly 2nd half of last month, startig from the throat. My brain simply was in sabotage mode, completely functionless for 2 weeks.
Aw thanks! Much appreciated. Totally hear ya - exactly what happened to me, illness-wise. Hope you've recovered well.