Fletcherism: What It Is Or How I Became Young At Sixty (1913) is a book that’s now in the public domain. An early foray into the self-help genre, the big thing Fletcher proposed was to chew and chew and chew your food, 30 plus times, till it was “applesauce in your mouth,” (from a review) and that was the nugget of his wisdom at his milestone birthday.

I had to ask myself, what is my nugget? Is it knowing all the different species of dragon? Is it the ability to love no matter what? (thanks, kids) Is it learning how to take my time, relax and breathe? (Not there yet! Maybe I should try that chewing thing.) Do I even have a nugget of wisdom. I just know what I know, I guess.

The coaching has been going okay. One thing my coach said was, “You don’t need to write that novel.” And that’s been in my head more than most anything else he said (other than “avoid social media in the morning,” which, although obvious, rightly needs repeating.) What a fucked up thing to say to someone who struggles with the completion of things, like novels. Or maybe not? Maybe that was an attempt to clarify – I don’t have to write because I’m not a professional writer, my livelihood does not depend on it. But I NEED to write it, anyway. So that’s been bugging me, wandering around in my head. Maybe I need to chew that until it’s applesauce. I have an appointment with another coach next week. I think I will record the next one so I remember all the things, so I can ruminate with context.

I am officially on the ballot for my City Council race in the fall. That’s news. I was a little worried my signatures wouldn’t be valid I’d collected them over so many months. This will be my fourth time to run. Maybe that’s my nugget — help where you can. I know it’s confusing, especially at this pivotal moment in time, but do what you can. It doesn’t matter what.

And I’m wondering, how much popcorn have you gone through while watching those two powerful and self-absorbed people fight it out on social media? I’m planning on my romance turning out a lot happier. Still, there’s that part of me that’s loving the breakup of Trump and Musk like it’s candy! Stories need conflict, and that’s where we are in romanceland…

The writing has been pretty good. There’s been a lot of brainstorming and outlining and even some writing of scenes that are playing in my head. I’ve been imagining a character much like Baron Harkonnen from Dune, the old David Lynch version:

Delightfully indulgent. EW!

So maybe that’s my nugget of wisdom — love the shit that’s in your head. Chew it till it’s applesauce!

Maybe there’s more than one nugget in my noggin? I’m pretty sure I could never decide on just one, my brain moves too quickly. Agile and fragile! Yep, that’s me!

Peace!