Temporary Hearing Loss

Dear Friend,

In my last post I mentioned I couldn't hear very well out of my left ear. It turns out I have strange aggressive infection that has caused (hopefully) temporary hearing loss. I went to a specialist for treatment yesterday. He filled my ear with medicine and plugged it with a cotton ball. Now I can hear less than before! But the doctor seems optimistic that I will be much better in about a week. I'm wearing a knitted hat to keep the cotton ball intact.

Before I went to the specialist yesterday, I visited my daughter's school to see her perform in a "wax museum" as the deaf/ blind author, Helen Keller. Each kid in her class dressed as a person from history and wore a bright green sticker-button on his or her shoulder. When a guest tapped a character's button, the character came to life and quoted a speech. Even though my ear was throbbing and I could barely make out what the students were saying, I enjoyed seeing the culmination of their hard work.

I suppose it's significant, considering my recent experience with hearing loss, that my daughter has been so interested in deafness lately. She's been practicing some signs in order to communicate with a boy in her class who is deaf. I'm trying not to panic about the silence, but instead to view this time of healing as a silent retreat. I told you about how much I benefited spiritually from the retreat I took last year. I'm planning to attend another one in May. If you missed those posts, you can read them here.

One other thing I should mention: my computer has crashed! It's in the shop now. My husband's schedule is constantly in flux due to his business, so I'm never really sure when I'll have access to his laptop. If you don't hear from me in the next few days, please know that I appreciate any kind thoughts and prayers you can offer! My mom is keeping my two youngest children for a couple days so I can rest and try to rally my immune system.


Blessings!
Love,

Adriana

Quest Notes: Blizzard Edition

Dear Friend,

Remember that break I took from blogging back in November?

It was a mistake.

Maybe a two week break would have been OK, but I chose two months. Now I'm struggling to get back into a rhythm. When a writer lets herself go, her brain gets flabby rather quickly. What should take 20 minutes, now takes an hour or more!

Maybe I just have cabin fever. It's been a long winter of blizzards and viruses. Currently my voice is croaky and I can't hear well out of my left ear. We haven't been to church in two weeks because of illness in our house.

Although I didn't write much during my hiatus, I did read some good stuff like The Power of Habit by Charles, Duhigg. If you're struggling with changing habits, this book is a good place to start. I'm interested in how we develop habits and how our habits define us.

I quietly finished Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte late in the fall. It seems to be everyone's favorite classic. I enjoyed it, but maybe since I was already familiar with the plot from movies, it didn't stir me like it may have if it was a fresh experience. I hesitate to analyze something so well known and loved; so for now, let me point you in the direction of the rock star guest post that featured Jane Eyre on my blog (by Karen Swallow Prior, author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me.)

A while ago I took a Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator (MBTI) test and discovered that I'm an INFP -- "The Healer." I think Jane Eyre might have been an INFP too. There are a few different opinions about her personality around the web. Are you familiar with MBTI? Have you read Jane Eyre? If so, how would peg Jane?

I've also read these books this winter:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane, and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

Thanks for sticking with me, dear readers. Spring is right around the corner -- We'll arrive at a place of wellness and warm air soon!


Love,
Adriana