So meaningful is the word of the day. Its synonyms are: significant, relevant, important, consequential, material, telling, pithy, weighty, valid, worthwhile, purposeful. ANTONYMS inconsequential.
A woman on staff of the New Yorker by the name of Margaret Talbot wrote, in 2004, a fascinating article The Bad Mother about a psychiatric disorder called and this is the beginning” Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a rare, bizarre disorder. Why are so many women being accused of it?” I was attracted, neigh magnetized, to The Bad Mother because, when working at the Marin County Juvenile Hall, about forty seven years ago, a colleague’s wife (his name was Steve) was accused, and convicted, of killing two of her children. Needless, to say it was a bit riveting and seemed unbelievable. As I recall, one of my friends did the Probation investigation. This article, written by Talbot in 2004, was so complete, so well written, so riveting. This sentence, was, to me, rather earth shaking (and when you live in San Francisco, this is rather frightening,) “Just as, in the nineteen-eighties, satanic ritual abuse represented the worst fears of what could happen in day care, so M.S.B.P. has come to represent the danger posed by mothers who are excessively involved with their children.”
Why was this earth shaking to me? During the nineteen-eighties I was in therapy with a woman, Dr. Karla Clark, who did the most harmful “therapeutic intervention” you could ever believe. She is no longer in practice and if she would be, I would have her disbarred ( well that is a legal term and she was not a lawyer). I live with the results of her ‘intervention’ lessening these days, in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Attacks, which have been witnessed by tens of people. Thanks Karla. I do not speak of the reasons for the attacks to anyone, because it would only bring them pain to people who care about me. I shall never speak of the reasons, a So I guess it is my secret, but professionals do know about this and give me such support and relief. It did happen, there is scientific proof. I found this wisdom and this insight, from an article in The New Yorker, so well researched and written. Allah be praised. And thank you Margot Talbot.
My self isolation forces me to think of prior times. This happened in London, it was December of 2016. I was at my favourite restaurant in the whole world, the Rex Whistler., located in the Tate Britain in London. I was living in Vancouver but not happy there. Seated t my special table surrounded by the love of the staff and said to myself: “ I have to get out of Vancouver. .” Prior to leaving and going to London, I had emailed Sotheby’s Art Institute and asked for an interview as I learned of their Master’s Program in Fine Arts . I went to the interview and was assured of admission and they would get the necessary student visa so I could return to my beloved London. Knowing this I returned to the Rex Whistler, got a great table (as usual) and impulsively went to a marvellous woman staff member, and said the strangest thing. I was so amazed that in two days I had found a way out of Vancouver. .
Me: I think I might be great some day. What will I do about that? How will it be?
She: Alexis, if it happens you will be ready for it.
Conveyed this conversation to her boss Matthew the next day. He was so darling!
He: Alexis. You are a glow worm. Winston Churchill said: “Most people are worms, I am a glow worm.” Researching, found indeed he had said that in a letter.
What a special life I lead, I am so grateful. Did not attend the school but instead moved to San Francisco, just in time. Along came the damn virus and I am safe, living close to my fantastic medical care and having Personal Driver, who makes it possible for me to self isolate (therefore keep safe) for a week at a time. Do not emerge from my apartment. It is a well deserved rest for an old lady. All Praise Be to Allah.
I do laugh and said this to Wise Man.
Me: I am blessed. I have the Best Doctor in the Whole World, The Best Dentist in the World; I have the Best Psychiatrist in the Whole World; I have the Best High School and Uni Friend in the Whole World, I Have the Best Lawyer in the Whole Word, I Have the Best Personal Driver in the Whole World, I Have the Best Computer Guru in the Whole World.
He: Yes, you have an excellent team.
Me: I do and I am so grateful.
So perhaps I am prepared for GREATNESS, whatever that may be. With these wonderful people that surround me, I am prepared for ANYTHING.
The other article, mentioned in the title, was written by Joan Acocella entitled The End of the Wordl. . She recounts the lessons of the Black Death, the devastating outbreak of the bubonic plague that spread across Europe in the mid-fourteenth century. It was so well researched, so well written, so fascinating. The New Yorker has the very best writers in the whole world in my humble opinion. The article, written in 2004, before the coronavirus days begins: “The Black Death, the pandemic of bubonic plague that hit Europe in the mid-fourteenth century, is like a disaster movie: a menace stalks the land; cries go up in the streets; millions of people die, not including you and me. Therefore, like disaster movies, the Black Death is very popular. Its bibliography is long. Then this fascinating statistic:
“In four years, the plague had killed at least a third of the population of Europe: twenty-five million people. In the words of the medievalist Norman Cantor, “Nothing like this has happened before or since in the recorded history of mankind.” Measured against Europe’s population today, the Black Death took the equivalent of almost two billion lives. “ It makes the coronavirus look absolutely puny. These words just come to me – it is strange! The synonyms of puny are: underdeveloped, undernourished, underfed, stunted, slight, small, little, diminutive, dwarfish, pygmy;, feeble, weakly, sickly, delicate, frail, fragile; weedy, pint-sized. I guess my favourite is pint-sized with dwarfish a close second.
Strange things constantly keep happening. An invitation from the Crown Prince of Dubai inviting me to email him through Pinterest. So I did. It was a standard come-on, next he would be asking for money for an orphanage in West Africa. I emailed that I had met him in the lobby of a London hotel.
He: You should know that I meet with so many people every now and then, i may not remember who you are at the moment.
Me: You are a fake. I am unforgettable
By the way his email address is Hamdam, not the way it is spelled which is Hamdan. It must be a drag, having people impersonate you all the time. But he asks for it, with his Instagram adherents and all his stuff on YouTube. What purpose does it all serve? I cannot figure it out, but it is no longer my problem. Good Bye Dubai. When travelling through Dubai on my way to London, I waved to the airport from a transportation vehicle. Good Bye Dubai! Good Bye Dubai! Everyone in the airport were laughing and laughing and laughing. It is so much fun to bring joy, it is. I fear for Dubai by the way, but more about that later.
I emailed CPI about the fake and provided her with the email address.
She: It is strange, the name is not spelled right. It does not end with a m, it ends with a n.
Me: I know. It is so unreal. But I did meet him, I did meet some family members and I do have the unicorn. All of that is real.
