November 2019 Link Party with “A Chronic Voice”

Sheryl over at A Chronic Voice hosts a Link Party every month where she comes up with 5 prompts that we can share our thoughts on. I enjoy reading other’s responses as well as creating my own. This month’s prompts are: Paying, Attending, Organizing, Plunging, and Knowing.

Plunging

It’s November 12, 2019 as I write this. So far November has been challenging physically, and emotionally. Last week, I got a horrid gastrointestinal bug and ended up spending a day in the hospital getting IV fluids for dehydration. I also learned that my iron levels are low and so is my hemoglobin. That explains the numbing fatigue I’ve been experiencing lately.

While I was puking my guts out, my dad went to the emergency room with loss of vision in his right eye, and decreased vision in his left eye. He was diagnosed with an awful disease called temporal arteritis which has stolen his vision permanently.

The doctors also told him that his left carotid artery is 90% blocked. November has spiraled itself into the toilet, and no amount of plunging will help revive it.

Paying

Due to my dog being ill in September and early October, I have way more credit card debt than I want. I try to only spend what I can repay each month when the bill comes due on my credit cards. Dottie has been feeling much better lately, so I’m glad I spent the money to help her recuperate, but repaying it is unpleasant. Especially with holidays coming up. Add in that my medication starts to cost more every year at this time and things look pretty bleak for any extra holiday spending.

Attending

This month I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month Challenge, where you write 50,000 words on a writing project. It doesn’t have to be a novel. I’m working on a memoir about my experiences living with and leaving an abusive marriage. So far even with the craziness, I’ve written 14,147 words. I’m pretty pleased with myself.

Knowing

I have found that working on this memoir has been enlightening in many ways. Some of my light bulb moments have resulted in sadness, and some have brought a clarity that was missing. In some ways, I think that I will benefit as much or maybe more by writing this story as anyone else may . I think that improving my self-knowledge will be a good thing for me.

Organizing

There is something about this time of year, that starts me thinking about planning for the new year to come. I’ve been doing a lot of organizing of papers, selecting a new Medicare Part D Prescription Plan, creating a loose outline for my memoir, and continually tidying up my living space. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a naturally messy person when it comes to papers, and projects.

My mother-in-law had a talent for needlework. She once did a piece exactly like this:

I have to agree with her.

Wrap Up

Finally, this post is going to be short and sweet. If you’d like email notification of new posts in your inbox, please add your email address below. Subscribers get access to my Subscriber’s only Library.

I missed October’s Link Party, but you can read my September answers here.

Read other peoples answers to November’s Link Party here. Remember to scroll to the bottom of the page.