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How do you get inspired to write?

Rima Pande My father had two successive strokes within a month, leaving him paralyzed neck down and unable to speak. For two years, my mother served him selflessly, supported by amazing family, friends and helpers. She set a positive, respectful, uplifting, happy tone in my father’s hospital at home room, and everyone followed her lead. He was surrounded by people, music, conversation. During this period, I spent many weeks with them. We stared at the constantly changing expressions on his face for clues - was he too hot, too cold, in pain, hungry, uncomfortable, attentive, tired, sleepy, somewhat happy - maybe? We looked deeply into his eyes, searching for direction, pretending to understand what he would like us to do, doing it, and then searching for an almost imperceptible head nod of approval. When he slept, I often sat and looked his face, wondering what was going through his mind, imagining the tumultuous flow of thoughts, trying to immerse myself in his stream of consciousness. This book is a first-person narrative of my father’s unspoken thoughts/ my effort to give voice to my father's unspoken thoughts during the two tumultuous years he was bedridden, interspersed with memories of key life experiences.

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