Happy Friday! I hope you have something special planned for the weekend, even if it’s simply to take the time to read a book or go for a walk – to do something just for you 😉 Or maybe you’d prefer a more creative pursuit like composing, drawing, painting, sculpting, or writing. I’ll definitely be writing again, but not necessarily for this blog.
When I was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) just over a year ago, one of my first questions was: “How can I prevent this from progressing, from getting any worse?” Although there are no proven treatments, research has shown that a few approaches might be beneficial; aerobic exercise (also called ‘cardio’), creative activities, and social encounters.
Aerobic exercise seems to benefit different facets of cognitive impairment, to act in different areas or functions of the brain. A research study published in 2018 found that:
A meta-analysis demonstrated that aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on attention, delayed recall, and reaction time.
Zhou et al; Medicine; Nov 2018.
Another meta-analysis showed that exercise intervention may improve executive function.”(1)
A 2015 article in the journal Neurology, studying risk factors for MCI rather than people who already had it, found that:
The risk of MCI was reduced for participants who reported engagement in artistic, craft, and social activities in both midlife and late life”(2)
Roberts et al; Neurology; May 2015
This study has been taken to suggest that these types of activities could also benefit people already experiencing MCI, like me. So I set myself a goal this year of trying some new artistic, craft, and creative techniques. Yesterday I attended a candle-making workshop, for example; blog post to follow soon!
I already knew that I enjoy writing, despite the dual challenges of MCI and of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in my right hand and arm. This blog is proof that I like to write, right?!
So when I heard about a free online course, an introduction to writing fiction, I was intrigued. Fiction wasn’t something that I’d explored before, and this course is set up with very short modules; perfect for my now-limited attention span.
Each day this week I’ve been posting some of the fictional micro-stories that I’ve written, as assignments for this course. Today we’ll have our own little ‘Fiction Friday’, as I’m going to post the longest of my story-assignments so far.
As with all the other mini-tales which I’ve posted this week, this writing exercise had some very specific parameters. We were given a two-sentence text, describing a woman on a bus who was carrying a small dog in her purse. We had to develop those two sentences into the plot of a story, and to create a fictional character, all in less than 1400 words.
This is what I came up with, based on the multiple requirements of this course assignment. I hope you enjoy it!
Tony is getting ready for a spring break trip to the beach, although she’s going to have to find some time to study while she’s there. Right now, though, she’s on her way to have Friday dinner with her widower father. After which she’ll be leaving her little dog with him for more than a week. She’s never left her with anyone before, so isn’t sure how she’ll react. Or how her father will, for that matter.
Feeling nervous about the whole situation, she’d gone all matchy-matchy with her outfit and Mako’s. Not much of an outfit for her dog, really, just a red ribbon in her fur to match Tony’s sweater. She didn’t want Mako to get too warm, bundled into a purse, wearing one of her little doggy sweaters.
She’d chosen to colour-coordinate the pair of them for two reasons. The first was to make her dad smile, as seeing their matched outfits was bound to do. She secretly hoped he’d be wearing the red sweater she’d given him for Christmas, although the day was just a bit too warm for the heavy wool. Imagine if the three of them turned out to be wearing red – they’d have to snap a photo to text to his sister!
Ohhhh… that was a good idea! She should take a selfie of the three of them, no matter what he was wearing. Auntie Catherine would be happy to hear from her, and to have a recent photo of her brother.
The second reason for the red bow had been to make more of a fuss than usual over Mako. If she’d thought about it at all, Tony would have realized that she felt guilty about abandoning her dog for eleven nights.
Tony – Antonia really, but no one had called her that since primary school – was in the first year of a master’s degree program at the university. At twenty-five she was older than the other students by at least two years. Unlike her, they hadn’t had to interrupt their studies between degrees, to find work and save before continuing their educations.
Their families were all footing the bills for school, right through to the PhD and even post-doctoral fellowships overseas. Tony would have to be accepted for grant funding or scholarships to get her doctorate, but she knew that she’d find a way. She always had.
This was the perfect example of her finding a way. Her office job, although boring, had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She was good at the work, had been promoted once during her two-year stint, and had often been offered first chance at weekend overtime hours. The director knew that she was saving for school, so made certain that she could work as many extra hours as they had work to fill.
Those overtime hours were what had enabled her to set aside enough money for this trip, as well as to rent a decent studio apartment – close to the school – without having to resort to finding a roommate. Aside from Mako, of course.
The apartment had been her dad’s idea, which had taken her completely by surprise. When they sat down together last summer to set out a budget for her two-year program, her father had quickly realized that she’d saved far more than what she’d need to cover her tuition, university fees, books, and other educational expenses.
She’d be spending long days at school, so they’d even accounted for the cost of three meals a day on campus, and her monthly transit pass. He’d suggested that they ‘just look’ at some small apartments online, then and there, to get an idea of the rental costs close to the university.
Her father’s rationale had been that an apartment near the university would allow her to spend a few extra hours a day on her studies, rather than on the bus to and from her childhood home. The first few had looked horrid, grimy and ugly. She’d been just about to give up on the idea, already convinced that she couldn’t afford a decent little place, when her dad had found this one.
Bright and airy in the photo, overlooking a park or some sort of green space. A small glass-paned door had been open to a tiny balcony, looking like a tree-house, showcasing a small round table and two chairs. The furniture was all wrought-iron, with a design of leaves worked into the metal.
She’d fallen in love with the place, with that balcony, before they’d even seen the other posted photos; the kitchenette, study nook, and bathroom. Her father had made the call, asking about availability dates, whether a two-year lease would result in any reduction in the rent – it did! – and when they could visit the studio apartment.
They’d arranged to go see it the next day, telling the woman a little white lie on the phone – that Tony had to go into town anyhow, to pick something up at the school. Her dad had warned her not to look too interested, and to tell the landlord that they were looking at other apartments.
Their story was supposed to be that she was still deciding whether it would even be worthwhile to move out of her family home, instead of saving the rent money. His advice had flown right out the window as soon as she’d walked into the cozy space, and then right out onto the balcony.
“Would I be able to have a dog here, a small one? Or a cat, if you don’t want dogs?”, she’d found herself asking hesitantly. She hadn’t thought she’d ever want another dog.
Her dad’s sharp intake of breath, and moan, had prompted the landlady to quietly ask him whether he needed to sit down. Tony hadn’t heard this exchange, because he’d been checking the bathroom while she was on the tree-lined balcony.
As Mrs. Rodriguez ushered him to the sofa, he’d whispered to her that their previous pet, Tony’s dog Quattro, had died in the car crash with her mom. With his wife, seven years earlier. By the time Tony turned to re-enter the little gem of an apartment, the quick exchange between the two older people had already ended.
Her dad was sitting on the sofa, a glass of water in his hand, with the landlady hovering nearby. They could see that Tony glowing, bestowing a wide smile on her dad.
“I think it’s perfect, daddy, just perfect. If you look through the trees, you can see one of the towers of the university. And it’s so quiet here,” she bubbled, “I’ll be able to really focus and study, like in my study in the attic at home!”
Mrs. Rodriguez couldn’t resist that smile, the closeness between father and daughter. The fact that this young woman had lost her mother and her dog in a car crash, while her father was out of town for work. It was just too sad. Her mother should have been here today, should be watching her daughter grow up.
“A very small dog only, or a cat. But you would have to keep a cat on a leash, so it couldn’t get outside. I keep bird feeders in the back, and don’t want my feathered friends to come to any harm. And no barking, if you get a dog, okay? I only have this one apartment to rent, and the space below is my home. I also value my peace and quiet.”
By the time Mrs. Rodriguez had finished this short speech, trying to sound severe, Tony had closed the gap between them and was already giving her a big hug.
“Thank you thank you thank you!! A friend of mine has an adorable little Pekingese and it just had two puppies! One’s already promised to her sister, but I’m sure she’d give me the other. Her dog almost never barks, which is surprising for such a small dog. I’ll get it fixed and everything…”
And now here she was, bringing Mako to her dad’s. To just leave her there for almost two weeks. Poor little thing had never been away from her for more than a few hours, nor she from her faithful furry friend…”
Sandra Woods; Introduction to fiction writing, course assignment; 2020
So, what did you think? Could you relate to Tony or her dad? Or maybe to Mako, the dog who doesn’t know yet that she’s about to be left behind? I’ve had to disable the comments on the blog, because of obscene spam from overseas sources, but would love to hear your comments over on Instagram or Twitter!
I wish you a wonderful weekend, from the winter wonderland of snowed-in Montréal. Thanks so much for stopping by, and for reading the blog ‘-)
References:
(1) Xiang-Lian Zhou et al. Effects of exercise interventions for specific cognitive domains in old adults with mild cognitive impairment: A protocol of subgroup meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine. Nov 2018. Vol. 97, issue 48, e13244. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000013244. Accessed 07 Feb 2020:
https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00005792-201811300-00029
(2) Rosebud O. Roberts et al. Risk and protective factors for cognitive impairment in persons aged 85 years and older. Neurology. ePub Apr 08 2015; Pub May 2015. Volume 84, issue 18, 1854-61. doi 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001537. Accessed 07 Feb 2020:
https://n.neurology.org/content/84/18/1854.short?sid=52634227-c665-4cc8-a005-7c9749944bf5