Looking for my memory...

​I’ve had to cancel too many plans already in 2025, and I’m hoping that starting in April, I won’t have to cancel anything else. To begin with, I had a wonderful trip planned to Paris on January 21, 2025, to see one of my favorite jazz manouche stars, Biréli Lagrène, and his trio perform with the Orchestre de Bretagne at La Scala. It was going to be a marvelous concert. I was so excited! Then, in December, I arrived in Puerto Vallarta and immediately suffered two fractured vertebrae. I had to return to California, where I’ve been stuck ever since. Although that was disappointing, I’m now focused on gathering my courage and strength and going back to Puerto Vallarta on April 9 to visit both with my family and with my friends there. I hope that the rest of this year will be delightful with no interruptions.

Being home alone with no interruptions, you’d think I could remember everything perfectly. But no—I often find myself walking into a room only to forget why I’m there! That’s when I remind myself: I’m looking for my memory. Luckily, I’ve found a way to manage it: I use notes, all the time. My phone is full of reminders—things to tell Jose, things to do, things not to forget.

I have a project going on at present because I lost a tenant about a month ago and as she’s moved out, there has been a lot of painting and repairing—things that had to be done before the next tenant moves in—so I hired my good friend and great contractor Jose Palacios to come and help me out.  He and his wife Agustina have been really wonderful. Gosh, every time you tackle one thing, another item pops up! Keeping track of a long, scattered list—while making sure the workers don’t miss anything—gets complicated fast. Then you think oh darn now I have to call him back and ask him to do this one tiny thing. So I make a nice little checklist on notes and I actually give it to Jose to help him remember. 

This project has gone so well that I’m regaining confidence in myself. I used to manage things like this effortlessly, but lately, I’d started to doubt whether I still could. Now, I see that I can.

On his last visit, my son did an Animal Spirits reading for me—something our family always has fun with. March was my month of the oyster, meaning I’m supposed to tap into hidden talents I keep inside. Maybe it’s working, because I’ve tackled this project with more confidence than I expected! I’ve managed to get over my anxiety about having to spend a lot of money on this because it is of course my business and I must keep it up. Putting it all into perspective has really helped.

With the project nearly finished and my new tenant moving in soon, I feel a sense of renewal. Maybe this truly is my oyster month—rediscovering my strengths, my independence, and, just maybe, my memory.