Each day feels new, and my memory of the one before is faint. I’m learning to adapt. |
In September 2019, a seizure revealed a lime-sized meningioma pressed against my hippocampus—the part of the brain that governs memory and language. The doctors said it was benign, but benign didn’t mean harmless. Surgery removed the tumor, and three days later I opened my eyes to a new reality. I could walk, I could talk, but when I looked at my wife, her name was gone. I called her Precious—the only word I could find. A failure of memory, yet perhaps the truest name of all. Recovery has been less cure than re-calibration. Memory gaps are frequent. Conversations vanish. I had to relearn how to write, letter by halting letter. My days are scaffold by alarms, notes, and calendars. When people ask how I am, I don’t list symptoms or struggles. I simply say, “Seven Degrees Left of Center.” It’s not an answer—it’s who I’ve become. Note ▼ |
My brain hurts. This week I focused on finishing a short story. The story is over 11000 words. Of course, that doesn't mean the story is good; it is done. Something is refreshing about finishing a project. Yet, I still want to go back to it and tweak it. I find it difficult just to let a project go. Good, bad, or ugly, at some point, you have to move on to the next project. So goodbye to "Secrets of Forever" ![]() |