between printed pages

sometimes the message one needs arrives between printed pages – and, in teamgloria’s case, more often than not – especially as we have Lovely Friends who like to send us books, because they know we read Tons and are Most Grateful.

so – this morning – doing our getting-up-early-and-reading-before-heading-to-the-DayJob – we read the last few pages of Celia Imrie’s autobiography and Instantly welled up upon reading This:

People often ask me how long it took to recover fully from my illness, and the answer still can be divided into two: my physical recovery took a few months, but the genuine revitalisation, the return to how I felt before I fell ill, took years and came about suddenly.

Some people call this period between the technical and full recovery a period of post-traumatic shock, a time in which people (particularly the spirited ones, I have been told) once physically safe, take an abrupt psychological dip. The explanation doctors give is that spirited people use up a great deal of psychic and mental energy fighting to get better from the moment they are physically struck down. Then as soon as their body has recovered, the emotional fright of the situation kicks in.

Most people deal with the whole thing at the same time.

I think that this second dip, when you are physically fit again, is so much scarier because it feels as though there is no excuse or reason for it. In fact you seem to feel tired and scared all the time.

P. 271 – 272: Celia Imrie: Happy Hoofer

Yes.

That’s

Exactly

How

It

Feels.

Thank you William for sending the book and thank you Celia for writing it.

The whole book is Tremendously Funny and the bit about her illness, which we just read, helped Enormously.

Aren’t Books Brilliant?

What are You reading right now, darlings?

About teamgloria

I used to make my living from writing. And then it all stopped and so I went and did something else, part of which entailed a whole new look from Brooks Brothers (it wasn’t really me, but it was necessary). But a decade later I started to write again (during nights and weekends and frustrated lunch-times and long haul business travel) and one of the things I wrote (or came to me – as I do believe in the whole Muse concept) was a character called Gloria. Gloria was a trainee angel and sat “up there” waiting for her first assignment. To occupy the hours she should have been studying humans and their foibles, she spent her time enjoying the new celestial movies-on-demand channel and became obsessed by Doris Day. So you can imagine the drama that unfolded when she came to Earth. Quite a shock to the system. But Gloria was determined to see Manhattan through the eyes of a vintage Doris Day movie and something magical started to happen – to me too. Because I started to do the same thing and life became easier (and then I got Tobias the tumor which changed the trajectory, for now). There are a lot of glorious people, places & things that help me get through my day – they make my life great – and so I call them “team gloria” (although they don’t usually know that). So I thought I’d start documenting them, and looking out for new people, places & things on a daily basis, and sharing them with you (whomever you are – do say hello. Oh, and tell me who your team gloria is :-)
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7 Responses to between printed pages

  1. Wow.

    Yes, books are brilliant. This one, clearly, worth noting.

  2. May I borrow this wonderful sounding book…or have you already promised it?
    Xo
    J

  3. teamgloria says:

    Most excellent choices!

    Early Edmund?

    • I’ve got so man Edmund in my pile, but some of his autobiogs and also his new one ‘Jack Holmes and his friend’. I recently got a wonderful Amercian first edition of his ‘States of Desire – travels in gay America’ which I also need to read. xx

  4. So glad you are enjoying it. I thought it might be just right for you. I haven’t read it, but I have it. Saving it for Cornwall. I have some Snyder on the go to be followed by some Edmund White and some Patrick Gale. Xx

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