An obstacle, currently.

What is an obstacle you are facing, currently? Interpret the question your own way.

The physical. I am never sure if my failings are age or mere personal lacks.

The mental. I am always forgetting . . . um, what was I talking about?

I am not as stable on my feet as I would like and seem to be not capable of running at all. I stay out of dark alleys, these days.

xenchu: ditto on the physical. What you said.
Also mental: trying to wrap my mind around Emily Dickinson's poems.

How do some of you overcome obstacles to enjoying/understanding certain authors? Or do you just move on to another author?

I guess I move on, feeling I don't have too much patience with reading being hard work. I didn't enjoy literature classes at the university, either.

If I feel an author is important enough I will usuallly try to struggle on. On the other hand if I just don't connect with the average author or I really don't like a book I will drop it.

What xenchu (#8) said.

Sometimes I feel like to understand something I have to wrestle with it: like Jacob wrestling with an angel. I agree that in so many cases, it's just best to drop the book. But sometimes I think I need to give my attention to it and think deeply about it. I need to wrestle with my self and with the work. Sometimes when I do that light does dawn. I feel that Emily Dickinson is someone I should try harder to understand. So I'm going to try reading some books about her. She needs to feel flesh and blood to me. I need to feel like we are sitting in the same room together. Like I have touched her hand or her arm, literally.

I admire your willingness to put in the work. I look forward to hearing what books about Emily Dickinson you decide to read. Perhaps I'll read along your side, metaphorically speaking.

while i attended the University in 1990, a new prof was hired whose doctoral thesis was the "silent period of emily dickinson." Her theory is that emily had become pregnant and went away and had an abortion, and that caused enoiugh emotional damage to quiet her for awhile.

Don't know. Just FYI stuff. Personally, I find her quite easy to understand and quite delightful to read. It never hurts to know something about an author, though. Never.

#12
But it's even better when the something you know about the author is true.
Always

Back to the original topic of the thread, my current obstacle is depression, it's been gloomy here, meteorologically and I think that's contributing to it, also I haven't been feeling very well, so I've just been down in the dumps, can't concentrate, can't read, haven't even been able to find any pleasure being on LT for awhile. But I think I'm starting to come out of it. I hope so. It's been a dark place.

As to finding something out about an author, I've always been such a romantic at heart and the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning always interested me. I read recently that there is now a theory that Elizabeth's father may have objected so strongly to his children getting married because his Barrett ancestors may have "married"? slaves while on their plantations in Jamaica and he was worried that those African traits may show up in his prospective grandchildren.

katylit - I am sorry you have been feeling in the dumps. I had a couple of weeks recently that felt similar. It seemed I was dealing with a little low level illness and wasn't giving that enough attention.

The theory that you read about Browning is very interesting and certainly believable. Times never were simple were they.

Thanks maggie :-) Yes, I've been trying to drink more orange juice and get out to do more walking. But like you, I have arthritis (in my knees), so it's not as fun as it used to be. But I think I need to do it for the 'mental health' benefits. It helps to have sunshine like today.

I find it very ironic about Mr. Barrett if that theory is correct 'cause he did have 10 children or so, perhaps he didn't find out about the 'questionable' ancestors until later in life. No times are never simple.

#16: I hope things are going better for you. It's post Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas now: a hard time when you're feeling depressed. It seems I keep peppering Roethke quotes everywhere: I do love him so. He had bi-polar, and in "The Lost Son" he wrote:

”Snail, snail glister me forward / Bird, soft-sigh me home, / Worm,. be with me. / This is my hard time.”

I just get shivvers when I read that. The ups (Bird) and the downs (worm), tied together by that odd image of the snail moving forward. Depression can feel like this, moving at snail's pace.

Please do post here again to let me/us know how you are.

My journey with Emily Dickinson has gotten to be very exciting. I have a number of books that I am dipping into. For one, The Cambridge Companion to Emily Dickinson which has a great article about how much she liked sensational literature! I have also been looking through Emily Dickinson Selected Letters. She went through some intriguing highs and lows. She certainly felt lonely sometimes. I still don't find her poetry easy to understand but I'm warming to it, with help from my sources. It's funny, Andy, so many people tell me they find her poetry to be pleasant, but I don't. It seems dark and volatile to me, or most of it does. Fraught with hunger and heartache and doubt. The wit helps to cut through the darkness, but it is still there for me. It is funny how people can see an author so differently. I would like to be a fly on the wall what that prof. defended her thesis about Emily's supposed abortion. :-)

Thanks Theresa, I am feeling betters these days. I love that quote and have added it to my notebook. Isn't it amazing how it captures such an essence of depression?

I can really identify with your fascination with Emily Dickinson. I've always found her poetry to be quite dark too. I love finding out as much as I can about an author in whom I'm interested, it gives so much more meaning to their writing.

Emily always struck me as being almost agoraphobic - was she quite as house-bound as purported?

#19: Thanks so much for getting back to me/us. I'm glad you're feeling better. Depression is a rough thing to get through. I only really had to deal with it once and it was because of some surgery I had (the depression lasted about a year). It was awful. So, yes, glad you are feeling more on top of things.

Oh, we are so alike about wanting to read everything about an author. She wasn't always house-bound, but after a certain period of her life she never left the house. So it is pretty much true. What I get from her letters is intense passion and intense loneliness. I think she must have had a lot of tension within her regarding solitude and loneliness. I love her letters.

Dear Theresa:

I said Emily's poetry was "delightful." I misspoke. I just looked that word up in Webster's and I shouild have used "awesome." Yes, her work has a darkness in it, but I have never yet met another Plathian who thinks Sylvia's work is so horrible it is wonderful. That is how I feel, and if it tells anyone anything about me, so be it. Her poem "Daddy" rips the testicular material off such, and "Balloons" certainly can be about colorful containers of warm air, but of course, it is about aborted fetuses.Literature is art, but the writing of it is craft, and both Emily and my darling Sylvia were masters of their craft. THAT's what I was trying to say by saying they were "delightful"! However, as I began this mini-thesis, I misspoke.

#21: Thanks for the clarification! But you know, a lot of my students say they like Emily because her poetry is so mellow. A lot of people seem to think so. So many that I began to think I was weird about seeing so much tension and darkness in the work. Sylvia Plath must have read her Emily well. Thanks, too, for the insight on Plath. Her work and Sexton's is very dark and occasionally scary. Scary work of this nature can be an obstacle, since so many people don't want to explore this darkness in themselves. I believe this was the origin of my trouble with Emily. Now I'm going where angels fear to tread. Awesome!

your students think Emily's work is "mellow," Teresa?

Hm. Are these the same students who believe high art in plays is "Dungeon and Dragons" or wholisten to Psychopathic records' Insane Clown Posse (sic)? And who wear tee-shirts that have red little hatchet men on them?

my junior college "students" average 30-something and haven't written a thing since their last letter to their parents or lover. They take English 1101 (which used to be a comprehensive reading course just 30 years ago and now is almost wholly composition) and learn how to make sentences and paragraphs. Well. Some of them do.

I really don't appreciate teaching primer English at the college level, so I don't "teach" anymore. It's like casting pearls before swine.

Don't get me wrong, Teresa. I have a touch of the oink, oink in my, too. But age has taught me that I must be true to myself and if I love delicious language, well, I don't have to bathe in mud.

#23: It is very hard teaching composition at the college level. I did it for a number of years and only recently have had a change in my teaching assignments. Now I teach only literature and creative writing. I was so distraught at one point that I reached a crisis of confidence and wrote a story about teaching comp.: I felt I was drowning in the sludge of awful prose, and it was killing my creative life. I didn't blame the students, of course, most of whom were very cooperative and sweet, just the teaching load, which was too heavy for what needed to be accomplished with the students. I am not sure what is up with the advanced students seeing Emily Dickinson's poetry as "mellow." I'm still trying to figure that one out!

Hi everyone, I'm only 62 and new to this group, but it's good to find Dickinson fans anywhere, and no, I'd never use "mellow" to describe her work either. In 2001 Alfred Habegger published what is probably the definitive biography of ED called My Wars Are Laid Away In Books which I mightily enjoyed, and though at times it's a bit on the scholarly side, it's solidly documented from beginning to end, and provides wonderful insight into both her life and work.

Welcome, Louis. I hope you enjoy reading thru the groups previous posts.

My current passion: taking pictures, and posting them everywhere all over LT. Please forgive my elder obsession.

Your dogs are beautiful. I'm sure you never suffer depression or gloom with them around. Mine are a joy too. Read any good dog books laely?

No, not been reading dog books. I am reading The Whistling Season for a book group, and still reading The Winter King for the Arthurian theme group read over in The Green Dragon. I am enjoying both. And I am dog sitting so I have the two above with me, and 3 labs to take care of. Total 5 dogs, no time for depressions, but I did catch a wicked cold. Can you catch colds from dogs?

My wife had a stress test and was told she had had a silent heart attack. So she had a heart cathartization today. Wonderfully, we were told that the stress test was wrong and she had not had a heart attack and her heart was normal and in good shape. But the let-down from the tension and worry is tremendous.

I don't know if there is a connection but I haven't read anything but computer books for weeks. The last good book was The Painter of Battles by Arturo Perez-Reverte although I did find it a bit depressing too.

It's good that it wasn't a heart attack at all. Best wishes and maybe you can get back to some good reading.

For me, the current problem is that I'm going to have to spend more time on my Dad's business, His dementia seems to have reached a new level - I'll (hopefully) know more after his doctor's appointment on Monday.

Was diagnosed with Menieres disease in 2010, and had several months of horrendous vertigo. Retired two years ago, earlier than I had planned. Had envisioned spending time with my mother-in-law, sister, etc. Thought that I would be able to walk for exercise and pleasure as I had before, but cannot do that due to sudden onset vertigo. Love to read, and thank goodness that hasn't been affected. Also have insomnia, which throws another wrench in the works. Add to that the problems with medications that cause heat and sun sensitivity, and I feel like a vampire.

Have you tried marijuana for the insomnia? I hear it works great.

33 >

It's never worked for me. I have chronic insomnia. Of course, it somewhat depends on the strain. Some varieties are more speedy than others.

(Disclaimer: I have cancer and live in a medical marijuana state.)

Wow, nobody ever accused me of Being Goody Two-Shoes, but I may be the only person in this thread who thinks of difficulties as the exceptions rather than the rule. I am well aware that the Devil is on Earth, and doing his job beautifully -- with my physical body, my finances, my various "labor-saving" devices, and my family -- but I begin and end every day with profound gratitude. Still, I wish Medicare-sup premiums and utilities were cheaper. Small stuff that, though. More seriously, I spend too much time pondering -- with no result -- what a wretched generation our generation has raised, at-least in North America. But as one of the ancient sages said, Teach them or bear with them. There is still time. Peace and healing to all, -- Goddard

Lots of folks are noticing depression at various ages. The cure I recommend is cooked fresh green vegetables ... the darker green veggies have the most vitamin E. Sometimes the old ways are best, as in home cooking. Why the hassle of buying fresh vegetables? It turns out that Vitamin E is the only vitamin that is completely destroyed by freezing. Oops. So keep those farmers's markets in mind. And the reason that doctors have stopped recommending Vitamin E supplements is that they don't work ... turns out that "vitamin E" is actually 8 different substances, 4 tocopherols and 4 toco-trienols.

Ditto. For me, age and being overweight & lazy. Exercise... just get me started... having someone(s) to walk with. Hmmm, need to look into that. Thanks for the question, Theresa and your post, xenchu.

Ditto!

Have several going at the same time. Depends on my mood/at-the-moment focus.

36> I found that when I added a Vitamin D supplement (after multiple blood tests showed a deficiency) my need for anti-depressants reduced sharply.

>40 PhaedraB: Looks like I need to start taking Vit. D. I'm so tired of feeling depressed, but more tired of taking meds for it. But my main problem right now is arthritis, and my plan for that is to start doing yoga again and taking walks. I just moved, though, and it's taking me awhile to get settled and find my way around.

I love being retired (just happened in July ~ wOOt!) though I find that, unless I force myself to do something, I spent the entire day puttering, reading and/or going online to social sites. (That's not really a problem, just something I don't like and need to do something about.)

#32 I have Menieres Disease and my ENT neurolgist prescribed a diuretic called Amiloride which he said works for some people. I now have an occasional day when my balance is not too good and I tend to bounce off the walls a bit but no longer any nausea and no more emergency ambulance trips to hospital with severe nausea and vomiting.

Works for me. :)

I'm experiencing a flare-up of my autoimmune disease so I've been given a prescription for a tapered course of prednisone. On the first refill and feeling pretty good with the symptoms much improved. The downside is that I can't take it indefinitely but still I'll enjoy feeling better while I can.

>6 TheresaWilliams: I guess that I'm a little slow on the uptake here in the obstacle thread. Here, in my review of one of Eudora Welty's books of short stories, is my confession and my tussle with her writing...

*** I love Eudora Welty. There, I've said it. Ages ago I heard her interviewed on PBS and was entranced by her; her voice, her intelligence, her charm, her descriptions and way with words. I said to myself, "I should read some of her work."

Also some time ago, I ran across one of her books of photographs and thought that it was just great.

Also (again???), when I first got on the internet, I used Eudora email software for quite some time. The software is still around today and was named after Eudora Welty. See here for a quite charming note about naming the software after her.

Okay, here comes the review, which isn't in the usual mode, it's more of a confession...

I tried to read a couple of her novels and bogged down on both of them. The writing seemed to go on at great length without progress and I gave up. I just couldn't do it.

I recently found this book at a used book store, noted it was a collection of her SHORT stories and picked it up. Noted at this writing is one LT rating of "1" and perhaps that rating person had the same reaction I did to her work, descriptions go on and on and on... I did read "Why I Live on the P.O." and three or four of her other stories that were shorter and thought that they were somewhat interesting in build-up.

I can't rate her book a "5" or even a "4." I couldn't live with myself, so I copped out and didn't rate the book. Sorry Miz Welty. I tried my best which, sadly, is none too good. ***

Added, to above review: I want to sit on her porch and drink iced tea and listen to her. Alas, I'm a bit tardy for that, she has passed away.

44 > I was once given a gift of a lovely, large volume of Welty short stories. The giver was sure I'd love it. I never opened it, never once, and finally gave it away. Now I feel so much better about that decision, so, thanks!

#41 Yes, Vitamin D3 seems to be the going thing at the moment, especially after all the scary stories about too much sun and skin cancer.

Get back to yoga ... I started doing it at the beginning of this year (Aged 73 - never too late to start) and I have had enormous benefits from it: my shape has changed, my dowagers hump is disappearing, my blood pressure is much lower and my feet and ankles no longer swell up.

I haven't read all the messages on this board, so I don't know if this has been addressed. When I consider what primary obstacle haunts me, even though I try to shrug it off and remain philosophical about it, the answer that repeatedly comes up is Time. I'm only in my early 60s, but when I consider all I want to do and see and READ, I feel like I'm running short. I know this is a universal concern and its mystery in unsolvable, but it still sits at the back of my mind. It's always there.

Poor vision is my biggest problem. I can't drive, so I have to depend on family to get around. They fuss because I don't tell them when I want to go somewhere, but I just don't want to feel dependent. I have trouble reading unless I have large print books. Very little is available to individuals, so I have to use the library, and that means I have to somehow get there. It is clear across town so it's an expensive cab ride. It's worth it though, I think. I thought an ereader would solve the problem, but reading on a lighted screen gives me headaches and makes my eyes sting. I found out that the bookmobile comes to a nearby shopping center, but they aren't running again until after the first of the year. I can order what I want online and they'll have it on the bookmobile next time they come. It looks like a good plan for the future.

Oh--I forgot to mention audiobooks. I love them and listen to two or three each week, but it's not the same as reading.

>48 JackieCarroll: Many e-readers, such as my older-model Kindle, don't have lighted screens. You need another light by which to read them, just as with a paper book.

>48 JackieCarroll:

If you haven't already looked at them, you may wish to check out the e-readers that use "e-paper". They are supposed to be very similar to real paper for your eyes.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have ebooks from Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Amazon and Kobo. I can put all of these books on my Nook, but if I switch to the older style I have to get a reader for each store. I was going to try it out, but the one Barnes & Nobel has now is called "Glowlight" because of light emanating from the screen. I'm not sure I'll be able to manage that. I plan to try it out next time I go to the store. Amazon has one for $69 but it has advertisements on it. I'm going to dig a little deeper to see if they have one without the ads. The bulk of my ebooks are almost evenly split with about 300 each from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I have only about a dozen each from the other stores. Although I'd hate to lose those books, I'll probably just get the two readers if I decide that will work.

Another problem--Has anyone else had to dumb down their reading as they age? I'm having trouble following multiple story lines and lots of characters. How frustrating it is to realize you have no idea what's going on or who some of the characters are. There are plenty of satisfying books that I can read without getting lost, but I hate that I have to limit myself. I remember when I was reading the old Russian novels like War and Peace and Anna Karenina, and even Dr. Zivago, that I had to keep a note card on the minor characters, but this is much worse. It's beyond the scope of a notecard.

I don't know if this is a sign of dumbing down, but I tend to read closer and slower nowadays. I try to be careful not to miss anything.

>54 Maleva: Same here. Sometimes I have to read a passage twice just to make sure I understand it.

I'm a slow reader by nature, but sometimes I find myself just ripping along the whole time thinking about chores that need doing, or my next trip to the doctor, or any number of things other than honoring the words. I have to stop, find the last place I remember, usually just a few paragrapahs, regroup and start over. It can be very annoying, but given that what I usually read demands close attention, necessary.