Summer-like Days

This video, and others like it, make me weep. To see young people, from both indigenous and colonialist cultures, singing together and keeping the indigenous culture alive, moves me deeply. I just love to see how the human voice, raised in song and chant, proudly celebrates a culture. And the thrill of the audience tells me my sentiments are shared by everyone exposed to the magic of cultural expression.

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Friday was another gorgeous day. It started cool but became a lovely warm day in the afternoon with the temperature reaching 24°. It was a truly lovely day, and it had a wonderful start with all of us joining our little dog walking team to celebrate Regina’s birthday. We had muffins for a treat from Di, and we walked together in bliss about the weather.

Then I came home to bake a tart to take to Stacy’s for dinner tonight. And then, after lunch, the plan was for Greivin and Sarah to come over to see if we could get the wood splitter running. I had oil and gas at the ready, and so I thought I was ready to go. But no. We need hydraulic oil as well as motor oil, and there’s none on the island. Ursula, Grievin and Sarah are going to Victoria on Sunday. I’m going to ask them to get the oil when they are on the big island.

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I haven’t touched monologue two for a few days. I was starting to think in rhyme, so I knew I needed a break. However, the success of the one I’ve just done encourages me, so I’m going to get back to it starting tomorrow. I really enjoy the writing and I’ll go over it and then I’ll ask a few friends to read it. It will change a lot if I decide to memorize it, and it’ll continue to change when I start saying it aloud. 

All I want to know is this: Recalling your esteem for my monologue, I would like to know if this second monologue works in partnership with the first monologue. Is it satisfying, or a let-down, positioned after the first monologue and presented as an evening of two monologues in a fringe festival.

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Some of my research into FND has me remembering the oddest things sometimes. When we had the Zoom call, us late-onset stutterers, every one of the new ones has FND. And, as I wrote before, I tend to emphasize acceptance and adaptation. Yesterday, I asked myself: Have I given up hope? And I think I have. I do not anticipate getting my speech back and being less reactive.

So, then I wonder: Is giving up hope a pre-requisite of acceptance? Anyway, I digress… In the Zoom meeting with the new members, as a joke when I was speaking about finding peaceful coexistence with one’s symptoms, I said: As people with physical symptoms of neurological disorder, we can think of ourselves as proud members of the family of witches. It’s true. It’s in a medical book on migraine headaches written by Oliver Sacks.

For me, growing up with no family history, having a link to something historical is fulfilling. It connects me to the family of man. I always felt outside/disconnected.

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Today will be a lovely slow day. It’s a gorgeous day and I’ve already had an early morning spa soak, so her Highness and I will go to the last farmers’ market today, and this afternoon I’ll be reading in the sunshine before going to Stacy’s for dinner.