KEEPING BUSY

TUESDAY, Sept. 13

It's good to have lots to do and in that way you don't spend too much time dwelling on unhappy thoughts. Since the weekend there was a remarkable improvement in my friend's condition (which could be temporary but we must always hope for the best). So my visit yesterday was quite different from the one last Friday.

I've been having some good times with friends since the stressful time last week. Sunday my writer gal friends invited me to a lovely lunch at the grand old Sylvia Hotel, in the dining room overlooking the Bay. Later in the afternoon I ran into another girlfriend up on the Drive and enjoyed her company for awhile then got home and had a nice dinner with George and a long insightful talk during the evening.

So by yesterday I felt much better and spent the morning writing. Then I went to the hospital and was delightfully surprised to find A. quite perked up and in less pain than before. The visit was full of pleasant surprised (for me and him) and other people dropped by to make it even cheerier. After I left the hospital I went ot have dinner with my pal M.J. who is such a terrific cook! Then we went to our weekly critiquing goup. I read the draft of what I'd written in the morning and got favourable commentaries on it. That kind of rounded out the whole day for me.

It occured to me that I can not put my own life on hold because my friend is so ill. I have to take care of my own emotional health and if I am so stressed and sad like I was last weekend, then I am unable to write and enjoy my life. So today I got up early with the intentions of going to water-fit, but when I got there the pool was closed for maintenance. So I came home and spent some hours writing again and preparing my program for the Memoirs group that starts on Thursday. Tonight I went downtown to the West End Writers and chaired for the last time. It was a huge meeting, 18 people, many of them new, making a very stimulating night.

That excellent young man Wes was there who I met last year (he was in my Prompt the Muse class in the Spring.) We rode part way home on the bus together. I find him fascinating, so articulate and interesting. I hope we can keep in touch as I really like him and feel he has great untapped talent as a writer, just needs more focus (I think he told me he has ADD).

I just got home and I feel more relaxed than I have for awhile. In the morning I'm going to make some of that special avocado/zucchini puree soup for A. and take it to him tomorrow afternoon. I'll visit whenever I can (daytimes) because next week my night school classes start and I'm going to be very busy. I know A. will understand that and appreciate that I'm using my time doing writer's things, having a bit of fun in between. He knows I won't forget him. How could I? But I also have my own life to live.