THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY

I am finally back online…with life! It’s been a whirlwind the last several weeks. In the midst of all of it, just yesterday, I started working on the 8th book, The Portals of the Past. Now I am sucked into it and can’t get out of it until I finish it. Which is usually how this writing thing works. I get so engrossed in the characters, the story and how God shows up. He knows the end from the beginning! While writing, I went from yelling with excitement; to crying because of something really sad. So, my blogs of not finishing the book till next year? Yeah! I stand corrected, very corrected. Because now, I cannot help but to get it done within a few weeks! I am thinking the film festivals and the scripts have something to do with it. People who invest or who want to produce or direct it, will want to know how the story ends.

Without an ending, who can make a profitable decision?

The first episode is written. It just needs to be edited. The pilot script has had 100’s of rewrites and I believe is in its final one. So, we are making progress. But as I have always said, it is done in God’s timing and in God’s way. I did not expect to finish that 8th book this year (2024). It was the farthest thing from my mind. Plus, I just did not have the motivation for it. I was literally offline. Two of the definitions for offline are, “out of operation or existence.” I just was not with it. I was out of operation and existence. I had an unexpected injury and then an unexpected move due to said injury. I have not been able to ice skate for the last month and I won’t be back on the ice until September.

Sometimes, you just have to sit back and take an honest look at reality. My body has been suffering immensely from a throat and airway injury since 2016. COVID made it worse. I went from walking fifteen miles a week and skating at least two hours a week. Then after COVID, to one mile a few times a week, to skating ten minutes on ice and a CPAP ten minutes off ice. IT SUCKED! But I do have an appointment with a Cardiologist. I am hoping she will be able to diagnose the problem. It is very possible I have Dysautonomia brought on my COVID. “Post-COVID-19 syndrome, or Long Covid (LC) refers to symptoms persisting 12 weeks after the COVID-19 infection. LC comprises a wide range of dysautonomia symptoms, including fatigue, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness, pain and brain fog.” I am in Speech Therapy for the brain fog. I failed several of the cognitive tests. I was disorganized before COVID. But now it is extreme, like all over the map kind of thing. So, I am steadily learning how to function better. Some of why, I have felt so out of sorts.

So, where am I with my skating? I am supposed to be the older figure skater in the pilot and my skating took a nose dive after COVID. No joke. The CPAP after I skate for ten minutes is real.

Well, I made a hard decision. I decided to just work off ice with my beloved coach, Cathy, until September.

We will be working on stretching, strength training, breathing, diet etc. I am hoping I can improve my health to where I will no longer need the CPAP. Last year, I was not able to walk a full mile, without having to stop to rest several times. About a month ago, I was FINALLY able to walk a mile without having to stop. It was glorious. I felt hope! But it took an entire year. So, I have learned to be, as my awesome COVID doctor from Penn Med tells me, “slow and steady.” The second I overdo it, I am down for two or three days. It does get depressing and why I need a Behavioral Counselor. She keeps me on track. Life can really hit us hard at times. So please! Do not feel embarrassed to get outside help. For me, I had to just get over my pride. I was a broken mess and I knew I couldn’t get better on my own. I am praying I can still be Summer Ray’s skating double in the pilot. It is only about 2.5 minutes long – my program. But it is the exertion that goes a long with it. Right now, if I overexert myself, my arms go limp and literally feels like jelly inside; my throat and airway tighten up; and I can’t talk. So, if it is my nervous system that COVID attacked, can it be reversed and repaired? I believe so as I am starting to see improvement. But the decision to get off the ice for now, needed to be made. It was unfruitful to stay on it in my current condition, and I was only getting more and more angry and frustrated. I need to build my strength back little by little. But I feel good about it. At least, off ice training is still for the purpose of getting back on the ice in the near future. Who knows, maybe with brand new skates! 🙂

Back to researching for this 8th and final Summer Ray book of the original series. I think this finality will also help me promote the series better. I won’t disclose the ending, of course. But it will give me a proper path to follow in terms of marketing. I won’t be stumbling if an investor asks, “Is it a complete series?” “Do you know how it ends?”

Thank you for being a part of our Summer Ray world.

Reference: www.dictionary.com; Google search