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I knew I was in trouble when I thought about getting my hair cut. After all, isn’t that what you do when you feel out of sorts? A new hairdo might be just the thing to get me out of this muddle. My stylist and I had worked so hard to get this straight, fine, cowlicked hair to look just right, But it didn’t seem to be working so well anymore, just like my life on this dreary day early last month.
(Fortunately, my stylist—a lady of a certain age—was basking in the sun and in her glory of completing the Dopey Run at Disney World.)
My writing plans had come to a sudden halt the day before. I so looked forward to doing an audio version of the three Ladies-of-a-Certain-Age Mysteries. Some of my readers told me how much they enjoyed listening to audiobooks, others said they were so busy they had difficulty finding time to sit down and read, and a few said they were having sight problems and found it difficult to see now.
When I looked into producing an audiobook, I found it difficult and expensive. It just wasn’t me reading the book. No, I had to find and persuade a professional reader to do so. I thought, oh, my Elizabeth, of course. How could you even think of duplicating the voice of the gruff forensic cop Dungaree or the playful one of cousin Murph? Well, I could sound like Sweetie Pie hissing in the window when she sees the shadow of that stealthy woman in Murder and a Victory Garden, but I never could duplicate the speech of the smooth professional architect Betty Noble. Those human voices are only in your head.
Darn, I wasn’t ready to write the next mystery. I just did not have the energy it required to do so.
I realized “my world wasn’t going to burn or crumble,” as my late friend Anna Marie would say. This wasn’t an abrupt life-changing event like I had in 1982 or January 2005. The Exxon closing of the Colony Shale Oil Project on Sunday, May 2, 1982, had significant implications across Colorado and ended my job. I remember going to my office on May 3, thinking how much I would miss writing the June monthly newsletter for project workers and nearby residents of Parachute and Battlement Mesa, Colorado. Eighteen years ago, my daughter had an emergency C-section. Fortunately, she survived, and her 3.5-pound infant is graduating high school this year.
No, it was just a cold and snowy dark day, and I didn’t know what to do. I was in a confusing situation. Finally, I looked out my kitchen window and realized the doom and gloom wasn’t helping. After all, I am a “Colorado girl” used to playing in the sun. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any sun, and the wonderful Fruita, Colorado Recreation Center had experienced a water disaster, so I could not play indoor pickleball there. In addition, my gardens had snow on them.
Today, I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. So, this is what I did to get out of this conundrum.
- I bundled up and went for long walks with my dog Dolly, who has a coat too. Exercise and the beauty of nature always lift my spirits.
- I started taking a vitamin D supplement. I call it sunshine in a bottle. Usually, I get enough sun except for winter.
- I went to bed early and got up late, taking the advice of Roman poet Ovid, “A rested field gives a good crop.” I was warm and cozy in my bed and could not come close to verbalizing the purring sound of a black and white cat, which brings to mind the character Sweetie Pie in Murder and a Victory Garden.
- I diligently practiced yoga every day when I did not attend a yoga class.
- I journaled even more than I usually do. For many years I have followed Julia Cameron’s advice of writing what she calls Morning Pages. I read about them 20 years ago in her book, The Artist‘sWay.
- I investigated online classes for authors and signed up for one.
- I looked at my gardening notes and saw I had to trim bushes in February, just weeks away.
- I remembered one of my favorite quotes by Clarissa Pinkola Estes in Women Who Run with the Wolves, “Spring always comes.”
In February, crocuses start to bloom. Dolly and I are beginning to hunt for them.
I have an appointment with my hairstylist. After that, I plan to update my photo to show my excellent cut—cowlicks and all.
Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, January 31, 2023
