I Changed My Mind.
After I wrote the last newsletter, The Phone Call, I had intended to move on to the next story about Sam and me.
But a few nights ago, as I was walking Juno (a.k.a Mrs. Maddaus), I started to intentionally ponder the next story about Sam and me (pondering when walking or in the shower means to gently, loosely, lightly think about something by letting the thoughts just sort of dance around - a superpower for insights) and it hit me that it may be more valuable to you if I filled in more context before writing that story.
You see, the next story about Sam and me takes place in 2017, which is 5 years after I was released from my 3-month stint at Hazelden rehab center for prescription narcotic addiction. A lot happened in those five years on my side that played a pivotal role in how the next story about Sam and me played out, so it dawned on me while pondering that I should write about some of those stories (difficult and hilarious) and lessons learned during those five years so you can have a much richer context for the upcoming story about Sam and me.
I like to check my thinking with others, and for my writing, I often ask one of my children for their advice, depending on what kind of feedback I am looking for. If I am writing about one of them, I send the article to them to ensure I have accurately represented their perspective, point of view, and experience. If I want feedback on an entire article's content and writing, I go to Anne.
Anne is a senior at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and is majoring in English, and she is a sensational writer, which is one reason I like to run my newsletter pieces by her. She is great at spotting weak links, lack of clarity, and seeing the piece as a whole, and (and this is a huge skill) she can detach enough from her personal experience in all of these stories - i.e. she can step back, see the big picture without the emotions derailing her - while at the same time she can dip in and point out emotions, experiences, and perspectives of our combined experiences that I may not see.
So I called her on my walk with Juno to run my pondering by her and she emphatically agreed. Fill in the story blanks before the next story about Sam and me.
So my plan is to write about my experiences and the lessons learned in those five years between getting out of Hazelden and the next pivotal story about Sam and me.
Next story on the way: Just an Addict.
