Because I said I would.
Earlier this year, Arran Q. Henderson posted an excellent piece entitled; A History of The Easter Rising in 50 Objects; by John Gibney, historian. I re-blogged the piece, which in turn led to an interesting discussion between myself and Elusive Trope (Doug Branson). Mr. Trope wondered what his life would look like in fifty objects; I thought that was an interesting concept and basically said, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” He began on his end of the bargain; I did not.Sometimes life gets in the way.
It gave me a great deal to think about; chiefly that for someone who does not consider himself a materialist, objects have indeed had an enormous influence on my life, and continue to do so. But where to begin? So I thought I’d start with the object that prompted me to begin writing my little blog.
A few years ago, I suffered a brain injury (can you tell?). I could still walk and talk just fine (more or less) but I was very depressed and moody; I couldn’t remember things very well and had difficulty concentrating. Two years of my life went by and I have very little recollection of the events that transpired during that time.
However, one incident stands out.
I was sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself. My wife sat down next to me and handed me one of her sketchbooks.
“Do you remember this?” she asked.
She wasn’t talking about the sketchbook itself. She was talking about a poem that I’d written for her she we first started dating (this was three, maybe four hundred years ago), which she has laminated onto the cover of the book. I read it.
“It’s not horrible,” I said.
“No, it’s not. You should write more often. Maybe you should start a blog.”
“Blah.”
“You may as well try it! You’ve plenty of stories to tell. It’s a lot better than sitting around staring at your shoes all day.”
And so I started my blog . It didn’t quite take the direction I’d originally intended, but it’s been quite the learning experience in more ways than one.
So there you have it; object the first.
Na trioblóidí 
Thank you for that very personal post, I hope and trust that you are getting better as time goes by My wife had brain surgery too – but in her case, it mostly affected her balance. She’s much better now – that was 10 years ago. All the best, eoin
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Thanks, Eoin. I’m glad your wife is doing better. Best wishes to the both of you.
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I have a chronic illness which is why I started blogging. I love it and it is more exciting and enjoyable than I could have imagined. I hope this is not a dim question but is ‘object, the first’ the sketch book? I am on my iPad with a poor internet connection, so maybe there is a photo I cannot see? That happens sometimes. I will look out for your next instalment. It is a great idea and I am keen to see what you include and why. Best wishes, Kate
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‘object, the first’, is the sketchbook; I included no photo, but you’re not missing much. Future installments with be alternated with other subjects in an attempt to keep readers from being bored silly. But I’m glad you’re reading and you like the idea. I began researching your condition after I discovered your project, as I’d never heard of Ehler-Danlos before. It appears as if you’ve maintained a positive and active outlook, which I greatly admire (and maybe envy a little.) Thanks for reading and thank you for the kind thoughts.
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I understand where you are coming from with the alternating posts idea. I don’t post about my personal project as often as I would like as people tend to be more interested in the very old photos, rather than my more contemporary ones. I don’t want to chase people away!
Thanks for looking up EDS. It is amazing how many people I know in the flesh have never bothered to do that. I have always been an optimist, so that helps with coping, but sometimes it is a struggle to stay upbeat, as I am sure you know.
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Good for your wife, and for you for taking her prompt
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Don’t really have a choice with that one. Thanks for reading.
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nice object and story to start with. a few days ago or so i was thinking about how I haven’t done an object post in quite awhile. now i have some inspiration. 🙂
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Looking forward to it; I’ve felt bad for taking this long to start; who knows if I’ll ever finish? Hopefully one or both of us will provoke–er, I mean encourage–others to do something similar. It’s an interesting exercise; I’m beginning to understand that I need to place my objects in a broader perspective to make the posts something more than mere autobiography. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Ah. Back in 1984, my father was struck down by a hit-and-run vehicle whilst riding a 10-speed bicycle on a country road. He suffered bleeding into the brain, was in a coma for 2 weeks and when he came out of it, refused treatment of any sort. We lived with an entirely different man from that day onwards. He was plagued with epileptic seizures, severe nightmare episodes and a personality that one could only call volatile.
Sorry. I suppose you didn’t mean to dwell on that aspect of things, but it did immediately bring it all up in my mind.
I’m working my way backwards in your blog. Every word and sentence has me captivated.
Kat
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I’m very sorry about your father. It is quite like a living nightmare at times, both for the injured and the family. I think the hardest part is you never know what’s next. You needn’t apologize for bringing it up.
SPEAKING of apologies—I’m flattered you’re reading my older posts, but be forewarned; I can be a vulgar little boy from time to time. Also, I think there are a couple of Canuck jokes in there somewhere, but nothing you can’t handle. I love Canada. In the fall. 🙂
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