Tag Archives: sussankaye.com

Freedom

Posted on by

0

My husband and I are selling our house after 22 years. The house has been good to us, a tranquil space close to friends, surrounded by green forest, containing critters to keep us amused . . . and sometimes anxious. Think snakes in the crawlspace. We have been good to the house in return–fixing it up to bring out the beauty of the over-sized rooms, high ceilings, beams and lots of light.

We decided to have a moving sale to get rid of stuff that won’t fit into our smaller place. My husband has a birdcage. This cage has followed us from marriage through moves to Ohio and then to Georgia. The cage is over-sized and made of wood, the old-fashioned kind. It’s not in the best of shape–two of the small slats are broken, and the door is stuck open. During set up for the sale, he placed it on top of a shelving unit and put a sold sign on it.

birdcage

 

Now I’ve wondered about this cage and often thought, “There’s that birdcage. We haven’t gotten rid of it yet?”

During the sale, several people inquired about it.

He smiled and said, “It’s already sold.”

However, one of our friends persisted. “Are you sure it’s sold? Why didn’t the person take it? How much did they pay? I’ll pay more.”

Finally, my husband said, “I’ll never sell the cage because it represents freedom.”

“Freedom? How so?”

“You see the open door? Whenever I’ve felt trapped in a situation and unsure what to do, I look at the cage with it’s wide open door, and I realize I can leave. I change or move or do something different. I don’t have to stay where I am. I can be free.”

Our friends, neighbors and even service people say, “But we love your house. Won’t you miss it?”

We do love and will miss The Ranch as we call it, but it’s time for someone else to love on it so we can try something new.

Concussion

Posted on by

0

concussion posterFootball season is almost over. Only one game left. SuperBowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos in California. Hopefully, a good game with a close finish. Meanwhile, the other players go home, catch up with family and friends and nurse injuries.

Brain injuries are the issue the movie Concussion, which stars Will Smith as Dr. Owalu. Dr. Owalu is a smart, inquisitive pathologist who discovers a pattern of serious brain injuries in former pro-football players. The premise of the movie is that football is a dangerous sport. The players may willingly sign up for the knee injuries, ankle fractures and other orthopedic problems, but the players are also at risk for traumatic brain injury due to repetitive brain trauma and may not be aware. The NFL is portrayed as a corporate entity that knew some of the retired players were displaying symptoms similar to dementia but covered it up to protect profits. Broadly, the big corporation is arrayed against a little guy willing to blow the whistle on a problem the corporation is well aware of.

The movie is slow going initially, but when Mike Webster (played by David Morse), a well-loved former Pittsburgh Steeler dies suddenly, the movie finds it footing. Mike Webster’s autopsy finding lead to the discovery of these traumatic brain injuries dubbed CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). At first worried about the future of football, the NFL tries to silence Dr. Owalu. After all, dementia can’t be fixed with surgery, pills or some therapy. As one character says, “If even 10% of mothers don’t allow their sons to play football, it’s the end of pro-football.” But once another well-known player, a part of the NFL establishment commits suicide, the momentum shifts toward acknowledgement of the problem.

The NFL has made efforts to dig deeper into CTE and figure out a way to make the game safer. Who knows? These efforts may stumble on a way to diagnose dementia sooner, which may lead to treatments to slow or reverse the disease. It’s in the league’s best interest to do so. There’s less emphasis on big hits. There’s no eye rolling or other demeaning comments when a player is kept out due to a concussion. Better helmet design has received more funding. Today, news reports said Ken Stabler, former quarterback, died of colon cancer but his brain autopsy showed severe CTE. His family spoke about symptoms consistent with dementia Mr. Stabler showed in the past few years.

I don’t see football going away anytime soon, though. It’s a great game to watch, moves quickly, and provides a career for a fair number of athletes. I’ll be watching the big game Sunday and critiquing the commercials along with all the other fans. But it may be that if the number of suspected cases of CTE prove true, more mothers may say no to football.

 

Pen Names

Posted on by

0

2015-12-15 10.45.22

I read this essay “Why Writers Need Pen Names” by Wade Rouse published in PW magazine. He explains his reasons for using a pen name for his first novel, The Charm Bracelet. The story is centered around a charm bracelet similar to one his grandmother wore. He uses his grandmother’s name as his pen name in her honor. He explores other well know pen names such as JK Rowling and JD Robb.

Having a pen name is freeing. JD Robb and JK Rowling tried new genres their main audiences might not appreciate. I can tell stories as someone else outside my roles of wife, sister, daughter or friend. As this other person, a writer, my characters can speak in a language I don’t know, use swear words I cringe to say, or go through experiences I may relate to but never have.

My friend and critique partner who writes as Lorraine Tate said it best. “A pen name silences the critic in your head. The one who imagines what your friends or your relatives or your church members might think.”

What do you think?