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Ren Powell
Ren Powell

251 Followers

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Jul 21

Finding My Bearings Now

A rambling, unfiltered diary about living with breast cancer Some facts: Today I am living with breast cancer. I have every reason to believe that one day I will be living after breast cancer. This diary will end when that part of my life begins. I don’t consider myself on…

Breast Cancer

2 min read

Finding My Bearings Now
Finding My Bearings Now
Breast Cancer

2 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·Jan 19

Avoiding Inspiration

Contemplating my best friend’s death at mid-life in the context of daily life — It’s like I’m trying to prove something to myself at the beginning of every year. Or month. Or Monday. I can “get it together” to be the real me. But every fresh start stumbles on a flu bug, or something similar. I’m not going to call it self-sabotage. I’m not…

Midlife

4 min read

Avoiding Inspiration.
Avoiding Inspiration.
Midlife

4 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·Nov 1, 2022

A Celebration of the Banal

Contemplating Mortality. Maybe. — The dog woke me at a quarter to five. He’s supposed to do that. But it’s not like I always appreciate it. I let him out into the yard and start the coffee machine. I pour a cup of dog food into the maze dish for him to root around…

Aging

4 min read

A Celebration of the Banal
A Celebration of the Banal
Aging

4 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·Oct 23, 2022

Today When I Rattle the Bones

Dealing with childhood trauma past midlife This past week I’ve been checking my watch and thinking: yes, but what time is it “really?” It’s not that I am still on Canary Island time. I don’t think I was ever there on this vacation — ever settled into a rhythm of…

Mental Health

3 min read

Today When I Rattle the Bones
Today When I Rattle the Bones
Mental Health

3 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·Aug 18, 2022

Making a Point, Or Two

Taking a closer look at an aging image — Sometimes I think how odd it is that my life is still measured in school years. How, for 9 months of the year, nearly everyone in the world is 17 years old. But I age. Before work yesterday, I sat in the chair at the physiotherapist’s office facing a mirror…

Aging

2 min read

Making a Point, Or Two
Making a Point, Or Two
Aging

2 min read


Jun 22, 2022

You Can Fly, You Can Fly…

Resetting after trama An hour has slipped by and my body is getting heavier. I have felt like sleeping these past few days. I am a soft kind of tired now. Leonard is lying just behind my chair now, on the cold floor instead of his usual spot on the…

Poetry

3 min read

You Can Fly, You Can Fly…
You Can Fly, You Can Fly…
Poetry

3 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·Jun 21, 2022

Milestones and Reminders

As my youngest gets married I’ve had an unwanted hiatus from writing. Growing is always difficult, and some things must lie fallow while other things bloom. That was “svulstig,” I know. But the metaphor does the job of conveying the truth. “Svulstig” means “grandiloquent” — but not exactly. Try saying…

Middle Age

3 min read

Milestones and Reminders
Milestones and Reminders
Middle Age

3 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·May 26, 2022

All Kinds of Somethings

Who are we when we leave virtual reality? — It’s a religious holiday here. I slept late and wasted the morning scrolling. I breathed through yoga but still haven’t run. And I had plans for the day. I hope this isn’t an indication of how the summer will pass. Haphazardly. Regretfully. I am already beginning to regret all the…

Social Media

3 min read

All Kinds of Somethings
All Kinds of Somethings
Social Media

3 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·May 13, 2022

Ripping Up an Imaginary Map

Before and After a Midlife Perfect Storm I have been through a serious illness as an adult. There was definitely a before and after in terms of my relationship with my body. During those first months home from the hospital I went to sleep every night fearing I wouldn’t wake…

Midlife

2 min read

Ripping Up an Imaginary Map
Ripping Up an Imaginary Map
Midlife

2 min read


Published in

Crow’s Feet

·May 3, 2022

On Tweaks and Wonky Widgets

Mental health is not just a young person’s game — I finally tweaked my website into a shape that I really liked. Then a widget went wonky, and the support person told me my theme had been retired. No fixing the wonky widget. I needed to choose a new theme. I have a new boss at work. We have new…

Mental Health Awareness

4 min read

On Tweaks and Wonky Widgets
On Tweaks and Wonky Widgets
Mental Health Awareness

4 min read

Ren Powell

Ren Powell

251 Followers

Poet, Playwright & Teaching Artist. ✎ Ren’s website is renpowell.com - madorphanlit/substack.com

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