Microwave Toast

Reader’s Digest has my first gut punch, heartfelt writing piece published in their Best Life Stories book entitled “Microwave Toast”. It can also be found on Audio Books now. It was written several years after my husband passed away at the age of 58 from Early Parkinson’s Disease and a rare form of dementia diagnosed at the age of 49.

Up until then, I wrote for myself. Short stories, poetry, novellas with a twist, always seeming to be on the bright, comical side of life.

“Microwave Toast” tells the story of his attempt, well into his disease, of making toast one morning for his family. He nearly set the kitchen on fire after setting the timer on the microwave for 5 minutes. This event was just before he slipped away into the darkness that is dementia. It happened very quickly over the span of one weekend. Up until then, we had only been living with delusions and hallucinations, but that weekend, our lives went to hell as he disappeared into dementia and our loved one would never be seen again. He became an angry, bitter, lost person we didn't recognize. I wrote this as a piece to remind me later in life what my daughters and I had lived through, maybe with the possibility of helping others to understand dementia and its impact.

It was a very dark time for my family and I believe that piece comes from that darkness. Although it makes light of the event with the toast, it also tells of his descent into that darkness. Depression also fueled my thought process and writing at this time. Living with a beloved family member going through hell makes it impossible to come out on the other side with a bright outlook on life. Most of my writing after his death stayed dark and somber for a long time until I found Vocal.

Vocal challenges have forced me to come out of that darkness that has lingered for so long. I have been forced to write with a lighter heart and mind. It has made my life a little brighter concentrating on fun stories, exciting locales and happier, more thoughtful pieces. I am grateful.