by Glenda Poulter
I was first introduced to Mari McCarthy’s 27-Days of Journaling to Health and Happiness about this time last year. Since I was an avid on-again off-again journaler for most of my life, I thought I would check it out and see if the program could help me become an avid all-the-time journaler.
At the time, I was in a not-so-good part of life. I had been diagnosed with a multitude of problems from severe asthma to degenerative disc disease to osteoarthritis to fibromayalgia and, no surprise, chronic fatigue syndrome. Until this attacked me – and that’s what it felt like, an attack – I was a dedicated employee at a major lab, and I ran my own freelance editing business. I couldn’t work anymore and I couldn’t concentrate enough to keep my editing business alive. I was on full disability, unable to leave my house without help, and I no longer could just pick up and go like I once could.
I have always been an ultra-active, type A+ personality. I loved, still do actually, to jump in the car and drive to see where we end up. I am a semi-professional nature photographer, or at least I used to be. The seashore is my rejuvenation and main source of encouragement (outside my partner, of course). I used to go alone and now I can’t even get in the car without help. Now, every trip has to be planned. Is it a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair day? Can I put shoes on without excruciating pain? Do I have my back support, my inhaler, my whatever else I needed? Picking up and going now is no fun.
In case you hadn’t already guessed, I was a pretty bitter and brittle old woman at 55. I pushed anyone who wanted to get close enough to help me, away. I turned to my old, red tabby cat, Geri. But he was failing and we ended up losing him during the 27-Days in January of this year. I honestly thought I couldn’t survive without him.
By January 1, when the program began, I hated almost everyone and everything in my life. As I’ve re-read some of the things I wrote back then, I’m surprised that Lisa (my partner), or my kids, or my few friends, still love me, much less want to be around me. Heck, I don’t think I would have wanted to be around me at the time.
As the month went by and I read and reacted to what I read, I began to find a strength I had forgotten I had. I’m a writer, dadgumit, and I could use writing to help me heal.
That’s the most important thing I took away from the program. I did become that avid all-the-time journaler, sometimes to the point of almost obsession. I had to learn to balance the journaling with the rest of my life, and with the love and help of Lisa, I’ve been able to do so. There are days my entire journal entry takes just a few lines and other days I write and write and have to remind myself I have other things to do.
Throughout the 27-Days workbook are “Exercise Your Writes” prompts about the subject of that day’s lesson. I tried to short cut around them, as I did so much in my life at the time, but each time I was pulled back to them. The exercises helped unlock so many doors I’d been trying to hide behind and helped me see that, despite all the negatives, there was plenty of positive to get through my day, week, month, life.
The support I got from fellow members on this 27-Day journey on the private Facebook page Mari provides was and is priceless. I made lasting friends and some good accountability partners. I found the support I needed to go back to my creative writing. I had one book published in 2009 and now I’m working on two more. And I wouldn’t be at that point without this Journey.
I am doing the 27-Days again in 2015. I’m confident I’ll see a stronger me emerge at the end. There is so much to learn, both from the workbook and the other journalers, that I know it won’t be repetitive at all. I’ll most likely do it again in 2016, 2017, and so on. I look forward to January 1, 2015.
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Glenda Poulter lives in a small town just outside of Raleigh, NC. Originally a native daughter of Texas, Glenda fell in love with the east coast when she had an opportunity to live and work in South Carolina during the mid-90s. Raleigh is as far east as she’s been able to get on this part of her journey through life. Someday, she muses, I’ll live close enough to hear the waves on the beach.
Glenda is blessed to have a supportive, patient, and loving partner. Lisa didn’t know she was signing on to be an over-full-time caregiver for a stubborn and hard-headed partner. But she has, and is, handling it with grace and love. Glenda’s adult children, a daughter and a son, live with their respective spouses in Texas. No grandchildren yet, but lots of grand-pets.
Glenda’s hobbies include writing, reading, drawing (doodle art), and photography. She is also an avid shell collector, as well as a collector of anything mermaid.
Glenda is the author of one published book, Out of the Past, and is in the process of preparing two more novels for publication. She is the owner of Rainbow Tales Literary Services, where she offers professional editing and is also a writer’s coach.. Her website is www.Rainbow-Tales.com.
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