Audrey could not bring herself to look into the Mouth of Truth...or was it the huge Gregory Pecker-like thing that was making her frightened? Either way, she was not having a good day--and that's the way she's like me.

Audrey could not bring herself to look into the Mouth of Truth…or was it the huge Gregory Pecker-like thing that frightened her? Either way, she was not having a very good day–and that makes her like me.

You may or may not have noticed, I’ve been kind of quiet lately.

As in totally absent.

I should disabuse you of any images of me being busy writing that new novel or starting that new editing business.

I’m not.

There’s other things I’m not.

1. I’m not blogging (but you already knew that).

2. I’m not walking every day…but I walk a few days a week for a few miles just to remind myself that I can still walk.

3. I’m not full of bright ideas…or even dull ones.

4. I’m not impressed with the way my hair looks.

5. I’m not peppy…or even in peppy’s neighborhood.

6. I’m not sparkly.

That’s the worst of it. My Sparkle is gone. You wouldn’t have it by any chance, would you?

Jolly rotten luck, Old Girl. Doubt if it landed with me, but I'll give it a go and see if I can sniff it out with Humphrey and the other gents in our Amateur Sleuth Club.

Jolly rotten luck, Old Girl. Doubt if it landed with me, but I’ll give it a go and see if I can sniff it out with Humphrey and the other gents in our Amateur Sleuth Club.

I’ve been sitting here for five minutes trying to think of what to say next.

That’s how gone my Sparkle is, People. It’s bad.

I think I know why it left, which is a start. But it’s a pathetic start.

You see, I added 1 + 1 and got “Too bad. So Sad. Deal with it.”

Let me explain.

One. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which is a sneaky, sinister, and obnoxiously stubborn disease that attacked my central nervous system 14 years ago rendering me constantly dizzy (hence all the dizzy blonde references). It’s like having the bed-spins all the time. I take medication to squelch it, and I’ve learned how to cope with it so I can live a fairly normal life (albeit one where I don’t work for a living and I keep myself sheltered most of the time–that’s normal, right?).

The Other One. Every so often, I feel “better,” meaning more energetic, less dizzy and capable of doing more than hiding away. During those special “paroles” from my condition, I tend to overdo it. I go into hyperdrive and take on all kinds of ambitious projects as if I were healthy. Why? Because I want to be healthy and, at the time, feel healthy enough.

= “Too bad. So Sad Deal with it.” It’s pretty straightforward. The problem is that all the mental energy it takes to accomplish my grand plans drains me and … guess what? The bed-spins eventually return full speed and I get fatigued (mentally and physically).

If I’m lucky, I’m plunked back to Square One and can manage all right with a slower pace.

If I’m not so lucky, I’m propelled back to Square Negative Two or worse. That’s where I have trouble finding words and I tend to bump into things–kind of like having two too many drinks and trying to act sober. You know how exhausting and futile that can be.

I'd never be so lucky as to tumble into frosting. Never.

Um, I meant to do that. needed to inspect the cake from every angle, right?

My Sparkle leaves when I feel as if I’m drunk and trying to be sober all day. There’s no energy for Sparkle when all I the energy I have is devoted to Coherence and Functionality.

That’s where I am right now, People.

That’s why I haven’t been blogging. This blog is all about Sparkle.

I don’t know when I’ll return. It all depends on when the fog in my brain lifts.

In the meantime, I know my Sparkle is out there somewhere so if you spot it, please send it back.

There it is! Catch it before it disappears again...

There it is! Catch it before it disappears again … I have a feeling my muse is traveling with it, too.