☀️It Dawned on Me… {#21}
Finished!; making progress & my (in)courage article about scars; what I'm reading & listening to
Finished!
I’m at false finish right now: I completed the second draft of my novel a couple of days ago(!!!!!!), but the next stage of work begins. I’m looking for beta readers to give me feedback, and I need to hire an editor, find an agent, and get it published. No biggie, right?
Still, it feels amazing.
Making progress & my (in)courage article on scars
Scars have been on my mind a lot. I’m sporting a doozy from my shoulder to my elbow now, and I seem to be accepting it pretty well. Not sure my modeling contract will be renewed, but oh well. It was only a matter of time.
I’ve been told (not by my surgeon, I didn’t think to ask) that my arm wouldn’t set off metal detectors, but that’s 100% FAKE NEWS. I’ve triggered them two out of three times so far (not at the Braves’ games, where they declared I was “medical grade” 😂). When one of those wand scanners was waved over my arm this week, I lit that thing up like a Christmas tree. (Kidding, but it beep! beep! beeped! all along the plate/scar/screw line.)
I can lift my arm to shoulder height now and swing my arm away from my body. That’s a minor miracle because it was pinned in a protective position against my chest for weeks and wouldn’t move. I’m in occupational therapy twice a week. I love my therapist, but she ramped up the torture factor once I hit four weeks post-op (I’m six weeks now).
I asked to bring my dog, so River got a little service dog vest and went with me Wednesday and signed autographs for an hour. No, there aren’t any other dogs at therapy, but she blazed some trails. Another OT declared that playing with her was TA (therapeutic activity). At the end, when my arm was iced down, she snuggled up on top of me. Just what I needed. One of the girls who works there took pics. There will either be a sign banning or welcoming dogs when I return. We’ll see.
When I recorded the video for my (in)courage article about scars, I suddenly knew I needed to share mine. If you’re curious, here it is:
To read or listen to my (in)courage article Using Our Physical and Emotional Scars to Build Empathy, follow these links:
devo: https://incourage.me/?p=249252
podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1753166/episodes/15909958
What I’m Reading & Listening to
I have SEVEN books checked out from the library on my Kindle right now. (Life hack: if a library book is about to expire but you haven’t finished/started it yet, put your kindle in airplane mode; it will check in at the library so someone else can read it, but won’t disappear from your device until you connect to wifi again.)
Here’s everything I’ve read since I last posted. I set a goal of 25 books for 2024 and I’m at 30 now.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book 1) by Rebecca Yarros
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Iron Flame (The Empyrean Book 2) by Rebecca Yarros
When I heard Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov were touring together and coming to Atlanta, I knew I had to see them—they’re well represented in my writing playlist—but it coincided with our anniversary/class reunion trip to Arkansas. We canceled the trip because of my accident, so I snagged some last-minute concert tickets. Oh. My. Word. Sooooo amazing. I bawled during “Amsterdam” and “I Was Born to Love You.” “Jolene” has played on a loop in my brain (fun word: that’s called an earworm) ever since.
I’m obsessed with Ray’s new album, which dropped the week of my accident. It has Grammy nominations for Americana Album - Long Way Home and Americana Performance and American Roots Song - “Step Into Your Power.” The lyric “Don't be afraid to fall. It's the getting back up that's gonna make you strong," is really hitting home.
What are you reading and listening to?
Happy fall and thanks for reading!
