I'm only on page 17 of my current reading book (Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber) and it motivated me to blog. I have neglected my blog for way too long. Excuses: I became a grandmother and was too busy meeting the grandson and helping my daughter; the weather has me down in the dumps; I had to find a new doctor; and the list could go on and on. Plus, I've been stuck on my "next chapter." Who am I now that I no longer can work and am dealing with on-going chronic pain.
Yesterday I had lunch with Susan, another expert on dealing with pain. Lunch was great; socializing was fun, and the talk was helpful, informative and also motivating. After lunch, I went home to rest and picked up this book. "Thursdays at Eight," according to the back cover is about four women who meet weekly for breakfast -- to talk. To tell their stories, recount their sorrows and their joys. To offer each other encouragement and unstinting support.
It starts off with Clare, by herself, telling her story to the readers. Her breakfast group decided that each of them needed to come up with a word for the new year. Clare, struggling after a nasty divorce, is searching for that word. She writes, "I need a word that fits who I am today, the woman I'm becoming. The woman I want to be. Just a minute. Who I was. Who I want to be. Why do I have to change? There's nothing wrong with me." She doesn't need to change. She decides on the word faithful. For her, it's not about new beginnings or new discovery; it's about being faithful to herself.
I'm struggling to figure out the new me. I DO have to change what I do and how I do some activities (because of the pain and its limitations), but I don't want to change the real me. The next chapter has to be about me being me. I'm still stuck, but with the help of Susan (and others) and the power of me, I think I'm ready to move forward.
