May 2020
It's Never Too Late to Begin Again

Hello dear friend,

How are you doing? Could we be living in stranger days?!

Two weeks ago, one of my beloved kitties, Leto, became very ill. We rushed him to a vet emergency hospital 25 miles away. The whole stressful situation was conducted in their parking lot by phone. A masked tech came out and took Leto inside.

The hospital wouldn't let us use their restroom. They gave us directions to the nearest gas station. While we navigated nature's call in a strange area, they phoned to say that Leto needed surgery and his prognosis wasn't good. He'd have to spend the night.

We decided we could hold it and drove home to wait.

Yet, against all odds, Leto has been with us for two weeks, courageously taking two steps forward and one step back.

The media exhorts us to use our strange days' free-time wisely. We can write that novel, learn a new language, or take a five-hour virtual tour of The Hermitage Museum shot in one take on an iPhone 11 Pro (the ten minutes I watched was spectacular).

Some insensitively suggest we should tackle a practical career skill like coding—because heaven knows where our jobs will go.

None of it appeals to me.

I can only take my cues from Leto, watching him inhale and exhale as he sleeps by my desk. Each life, each breath, each moment is precious.

And two steps forward, one step back is a wondrous achievement.

Like many late bloomers, it's a dance I've done for years and counted as failure. But it's not. It's success on a deeper level.

If you've been feeling some of this, you're not alone. This article by my friend, late-blooming writer Anne R. Allen, really helped me: 

• Why it’s so Tough to Write Now: Tips for Dealing with Our Collective Grief

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again