Before my 2015 Winters Solstice Post, Facebook sent me a gentle nudge that I hadn’t posted in 563 days. That is a pitiful amount of time to neglect your Friends, Fiends, and Fans. So, why did I abandon the virtual world so soon after publishing my memoir? What gives, Eve?
Kids, all I can say is that the past couple of years have been like a Country-Western song on steroids.
Yes, my Friends, it was a cascade of calamities, that often reminded me of the Popeye toy we had as children. Any of you remember it? It was life-sized (to a four-year-old) and weighted at the bottom. You’d wind up your arm and sock him the jaw and he’d fall backwards and then pop up again, and again every time you socked it to ‘em.
Well, I’ve been Popeye (but you can call me PopEve) and it’s been life sockin’ it to me, and I popped up and popped up ’til I was finally too pooped to pop up…for a long time…563 days according to FB.
To say ‘The Blues’ had kept me away would be an oversimplification. Part of my absence was due to sheer fatigue. Oftentimes I’ve been too exhausted to get online, not depressed, just tired. Though being chronically tired can make one depressed, laugh out loud. Sigh. Wrist and back issues are a detriment to writing a lot. Then there’s the calamities.
Early 2013 started with a trip to the ER for Arturo. (See my post about that here) Then a domino-effect of stressful incidents that included a dog bite (not me), two court appearances (non-criminal), loss of income and loss of residence, all while I was dealing with chronic pain, numbness and tingling, diminished movement, and fatigue from spinal stuff.
Some of the hoopla that happened might be good fodder for another memoir, but not unless there’s a happy ending. Arturo and I have landed in a sweet spot for now, and find ourselves feeling like we are embarking on a happy beginning to a happy ending…more on that soon.
In the meantime, as time and my energy allow, I will be sharing stories about the lemonade that we are making from the lemons life has tossed our way. Through all of our ups and downs, Arturo and I hold hands every day, look into each other’s eyes and say “We are blessed.” We’ve said it when we were rolling our last coins to eat, and grateful that we had coins to roll. We said it when we had a car that had 350,000 miles on it, and we were grateful it still ran. We say it every day, as we move around the country house-sitting, our current alternative to spending most of our income on rent.
So please, when you think of me, of us, don’t feel sorry. Yeah, my body doesn’t work as well as it once did, but damn, I’ve had a good time with it over the years! I have known poverty and despair, but today I look on them as struggles I’ve emerged from, from a past I am grateful not to be in today. Because today the daffodils are blooming, Spring is in the air, and I think PopEve is ready to Pop Up and stick around for a while.
Thank you for being here, and especially all of you who gave me such a warm welcome back after my long and challenging absence.
Blessings to All for a Bright and Beautiful Spring!
Eve aka PopEve 😉 (no really, don’t call me that, it’s a one-time blog thing, really! 😀 )