Being a swirly-eyed sister has its drawbacks. People back away. Stop listening. Run in the opposite direction. Turn up the volume on the radio.
Nevertheless, I am happy to be who I am and to share my swirly-eyed sisterhood with my friend Jane, the other swirly-eyed sister. My hubby, John, an expert in witty nomenclature, dubbed us the swirly-eyed sisters years ago after we both held forth on some topic or another about which we felt especially passionate. He swears our eyes swirled.
Jane and I share many passions—dogs, local foods, justice for the powerless and the mistreated. We also have our separate rants. Among my top ten are correct grammar (for), Andrew Jackson (against), LBJ (for), and jargon (against times ten).
To be a swirly-eyed sister, one has to be passionate about one’s place in the world. To be a swirly-eyed sister—to care so much about something that one has to voice one’s opinion loud and clear—is to embrace life. To be a swirly-eyed sister, one has to have a laugh now and then—even if it’s at oneself.
Dear SIS (Swerly Eyed Sister),
I found my way here via reading you essay printed in today’s Portland Press Herald. I appreciated your fine and expansive “Thank You” to the health professionals who helped save your life.
I am a retired physical therapist (age 78, its about time don’t you think), and living in the Rangeley area since 2000 in the cabin we built in the late ’80s. We raised our sons in Cape Elizabeth while I worked at Maine Medical Center directing the PT Division…then later did consulting with business and industry preventing cumulative injuries in the workplace. Prevention made the most sense to me…
Anyway, from 2003-2021 I wrote a column for the Rangeley Highlander bi-monthly newspapaer entitled “North by NorthEast”…I figure around 400 column in all. Now I have ceased my finely-honed skills of procrastination and am finally putting selected columns into a book. Wish me luck.
Bottom line: I liked your essay very much…!
Allen Wicken, PT, PTMS (retired)
P.S.- I have a good friend at UNE, Mike Sheldon, past director of their PT program and now an administrator of some sort. Helluva nice guy, and a rabid striped bass fisherman…! Perhaps you know him.