Stay tuned for the post I previously prepared for you, featuring an index of recipes I’ve shared here on Substack. Coming your way tomorrow, the six-month anniversary of Slice of Midlife (Substack version).
I’ll keep this brief because I am still recovering from surgery and I am not supposed to be typing with my left arm.
I am a shitty patient.
Inspired by Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor,
has written beautifully about inhabiting the space between “the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick.”It’s a hard place for me.
I divide the world into two kinds of people - turkey makers and turkey eaters.
I fall squarely in the first camp and limbo is no place for the likes of me. I am a woman of action.
But, as I wait impatiently for my pathology report, my follow-up visits with surgeon and oncologist, and my chemo schedule to be revealed, I am doing all the right things, including lots of walking.
I’m reading a book called Still Life, binging Julia on Max, and following the twists and turns of the Portuguese government.
In consultation with my daughters, I’ve resurrected my second piercings (which I got when I was 16 and haven’t used in decades) and am experimenting with bold lipstick shades in preparation to be “chemo chic.”
And I am being well cared for and fed by J, who has proven over and over again that he is a rock.
May the winds blow strong and steady for him in the coming year so he can be out on the water in unbridled joy.
The Best Thing I Ate This Week
Tsukune Miso Nabe (Chicken-Meatball Hot Pot in Miso Broth)
I’m constantly experimenting with recipes, with limited success. J prefers standbys. He only makes 10-15 different things, but they are reliably delicious every time.
The gift link above will take you to the soup he makes me whenever I am recuperating from something big.
Enjoy and I’ll see you soon!
Alison, I am a TERRIBLE GRUMPY BABY when I'm sick, and I think we should all just give ourselves a break when it happens. For outstanding lipstick fun I recommend this "clean beauty' (whatever the hell that means anymore) product, which is surprisingly bold for something so "clean": https://www.nordstrom.com/s/rms-beauty-legendary-serum-lipstick/7588946?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FBrands%2FRMS%20Beauty&color=658
That soup!! I'm so happy you're writing and sharing and walking and nurturing your soul with good food and reading! Will ping you for a walk...