Storyworthy, Six Weeks of Winter, Making Time stand still.

What am I reading this week?

This week I am reading a book about being a storyteller, Storyworthy, by Matthew Dicks. I am up early, walking my dog around the block and listening to my audiobook. I suddenly realize from listening to the book that I, too, have stories to tell.

The author is thoughtful and well-practiced at telling stories. Reading his book to me feels very personal. I was encouraged to read this book by him. He admits it is self-serving to recommend his book in the previous book I read, Do It Now. At the same time, rereading Storyworthy, after having a considerable guide mapped out r my dog walks, I can sit down and take notes on the guide map. He shares tons of practical insights and real-life examples. Everyone would benefit from reading this guide. It works for meetings, sales calls, getting your family's attention, and getting the rental car o cut you some slack on the rules.

Asking Why?

Matthew Dicks shares why he tells stories because he is looking for the approval of his parents. I do what I do so I can learn to thrive in a new way that does not revolve around my chronic illness. David Goggins says something along these lines regarding motivation. When you don't want to follow through on a goal, remind yourself why you started on this goal in the first place.

Writing does not come easy to me. Why do I write? I am sitting here writing and sharing what I am doing because all the work and activities I used to do have been peeled away from me thanks to Crohn's disease. I am learning to fill my day with new stuff, the imperatives of my life well-lived version II. I drink a gallon of water daily, meditate, write, read, and all that good stuff. I encourage suggestions for new activities, books to read, shows to watch, and challenges to master. Keep in mind they have to be activities close to home and allow me to take a break to rest.

Making Time Stand Still.

Collecting and telling stories makes time slow down. I stopped listening to the book at one point this week and had a brainstorm. I pulled out my notebook and outlined sentences for 14 stories about me and my father, Tom Donohue. Then I followed the book's instructions to create a digital collection place for my stories. Writing about the week Dad and I went fishing for a week in 1976 made an hour standstill. I highly recommend writing down a story idea from your day every day. Just enough of an outline to help you remember. Matthew calls it homework for life. As a teacher, he claims the authority to assign homework to anybody.

Six Weeks of Winter, Party On.

"I feel adrift." My husband says to me, sitting in a booth at Fred 62. It's Dark and cold, well, cold for LA at the end of January. We recently had an idyllic week in Hawaii that we did not plan past, but now in our booth, we both need to find something new to do next. He is creative and maps out mini-breaks he can take from work months in advance when he can schedule a personal day off to make long weekends. I feel like I am in a bit of limbo. What should I do to create something to look forward to accomplishing? Later on, I read about setting up celebrations for milestones. Plan a celebration for the next step completed. Not only that but make sure you have the celebration planned for the next step after that. I am thinking about how to celebrate the last day of winter and what to do for Memorial Day Weekend after that. I don't feel adrift from vacation anymore.

What am I working on this week?

I am getting ready for a meeting with my medical team at Keck Hospital. My three-month follow-up to the last surgery was in September 2022. I plan to celebrate with a stop at jack in the box on the way home afterward. Although it's five months past, this is the first available appointment. I am looking over what I expected to happen by now and comparing it to what is happening with my body and associated gizzard replacements. I set my expectations low. I was looking for a 20% improvement in my stamina and general health. Unfortunately, I am still tethered to weekly IV infusions for hydration. I don't absorb enough water without getting it from a clinic. It leaves me dizzy, weak, and vulnerable to vampire assaults. Then, at the first of the year, the insurance company decided to pay for IVs at home. My nurse comes to me now. That takes a lot of hassle out of my treatment. If I could recover enough functionality from foregoing IVs, I would say I hit my 20% better goal. Also, I want to be able to climb the hill in Runyon Canyon without taking a week off afterward. I would call that a 25% win.