Basingstoke Canal, Hampshire England December 2018

What an adventure this life is. I have spent the past few weeks meeting with four eye specialists, having tests performed. blood drawn, and even a brain scan.

The results are in, and the good news is that nothing new is wrong. What a relief! I am traveling down a slippery slope, visually speaking, have not had much change in some time now, so this latest retinal atrophy came as a shock to me. Now you see it, now you don’t, and you never will again. The left eye is long gone, and the curtain is closing from the right, but there is still an area in the middle that is quite useful. What my very warm-hearted doctor did confirm was that there is every reason to believe that I may have this current level of eyesight “for a while” before I have to readjust again.

So, I am still writing daily, but not in a panicked rush. I can also return to my very slow painting technique, because I have the gift of time. Most of all the sense of urgency has morphed into a sense of passion.

Yes, look at that! And that, and that, and that!

I am walking instead of driving, seeing life from ground level rather than from an enclosed driver’s seat. I am making a point to connect on a deeper level with my true friends, and reaching out to artists and writers in order to enhance my professional/ creative network as well. I am exhaling, wow that feels great. And yes, I am planning to return to England in 2019 rather than waiting until 2020 as my previous every-other-year habit dictated. Now I can’t afford not to go. I want to see this beautiful canal in person, and paint from the embankment rather than from a photo a very dear friend shared with me. I am enchanted, and I want more.

How about you? What enchants you, what gets your juices flowing, makes you eager to go forth and enjoy the day?

Thanks for reading— now go savor a cup of your very own endorphin soup!