Book Clubs, Writing, and Bells Palsy

Across the Fence #516

Linda and I recently spent a wonderful afternoon in Spring Grove, Minnesota. I’d been invited to talk to their Sons of Norway Book Club. This was a followup to a program I did for their Sons of Norway meeting in July, when I was invited to talk about my writing and “Across the Fence.” After that meeting, they had decided to read my series of Across the Fence books in their book club. That’s what brought us back to Spring Grove on a beautiful summer day. We had a wonderful time at their meeting, and I was surprised by how many people showed up for the book club. It’s nice to know that people are still interested in reading “real books” that they can hold in their hands.

I should mention that I looked and talked a bit different from when they saw and heard me at that July meeting. The first thing I did was explain to them what had happened, so we could get their wondering out of the way. On July 20, I woke up and realized I had a problem when I looked in the mirror. My mouth was drooping, I had trouble spitting while brushing my teeth, and I had pain at the base of my neck. I did all the exercises to check for a stroke, but I was fine. I knew then that I probably had Bells Palsy. I had it on the right side of my face 27 years ago. Now the left side of my face was paralyzed. I knew from before, the sooner I could be treated with Prednisone, the better my chance of recovery. It was a Sunday, but I got into Urgent Care in Viroqua. They even did a CT scan of my brain. Luckily, my brain was fine and no tumors, which was nice to know. And yes, I really do have a brain. Now I can prove it. I was also tested for Lyme’s Disease, which often causes Bell’s Palsy symptoms. That test was also negative. 

So, I’m pretty special, I’ve had Bell’s Palsy twice. I tell people I had it on the other side 27 years ago, so I had to get it on the left side to level my face out. Now I’m a level-headed Norwegian-American who can drool out of both sides of his mouth at the same time. You’ve got to keep a sense of humor about it and can’t let it get you down. Most cases are back to normal after eight weeks. I’m now heading toward week twelve and there’s still a lot of paralysis. I still can’t blink or close my right eye, I can’t smile, and the right side still droops. I have trouble talking because my mouth can’t form certain letters. At least the pain is gone. We’ll just have to give it time and see how much movement I get back. It’s hard to be patient at times. So if you see me and I look like a grumpy, old man who never smiles, and sometimes has to wear a black eye patch, I’m still the same person on the inside. I may be getting older, but I’m not grumpy! Even if I don’t get a full recovery, I’ll never complain. Things could be a lot worse and there’s so much to be thankful for.

So if some of you have seen me around and wondered, “What the H happened to Sherpe?” now you know. 

Now lets get back to talking about writing and books. It would be nice if every community had a book club or writing group. It takes people who are willing to organize and lead a club, and Spring Grove has some great leaders and members. Book clubs are a great way for people to come together and discuss a book that everyone has read. It also takes a good leader to keep the discussion focused and bring everyone’s comments into the mix. After the Spring Grove meeting, several people told me they liked having the author who wrote the stories talk about them and explain the writing process I go through.

Spring Grove Book Club. Me seated, second from right.

Whenever I give a presentation, I always tell people, it’s important that they tell their stories too. Everyone has a story. People will say, “There’s nothing to tell.” There is so much to tell. I wish my parents and grandparents had written down some stories about their lives. That’s history, and if you’re into family history, those stories become priceless. Our cemeteries are full of stories that were never told. They are lost to us forever and that’s a shame.

I’ve been asked to do a two-day writing class at Norskedalen in November, to help people get started in writing their stories. I’ve done one-day classes in the past, but having two days will allow us time to expand on ways to get started, and allow more time to do some writing during the class. 

Several years ago, one student in my class came up with a very creative way to tell her story. She told it from the viewpoint of a dog she had when she was young. It gave the story a whole different perspective. Writing can be a lot of fun.

If you’re interested in the writing class, contact Norskedalen for details. And don’t worry, I won’t be a grumpy, old instructor. 

  

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