- husband quit his job (long story, don't get me started). Yes, he's job-hunting, but we're older and ...
- I telecommute a 40-hour work week from home, so he's underfoot all day. Enough said.
- Should I retire? no? We're meeting with financial planners soon to factor in the first bullet point and where we stand.
- A few annoying aches and pains that make movement painful unless I do a lot of stretching and moving (Catch-22: move to feel better but it hurts to move). I'm doing it, but there are days ...
- Volunteering: Master Gardening committees and events; homeless shelter sewing; I'm considering tutoring at the local immigrant center.
- The Orange Monstrosity in D.C. Enough said. I'm calling representatives, writing postcards and taking notes for my End of the World novels.
- A beloved cousin is going through cancer for the 2nd time
- My work laptop had a meltdown; I'm 250 miles away from tech support. A new laptop is on the way but until then I have to baby this one. Can't switch over to a home laptop because of software, security, etc.
A lot of distractions, right?
Actually, no. Here's the way I view my life: I am a juggler and those bullet points are the things I juggle. In the middle (me) is my writing. That's the constant that keeps me going. Every day I get to sit down and visit my characters and write their story and join them for however long I can.
That's the central pivot point. Everything else will have its moment but through it all, I'll have my writing. Lord knows what I'll do if that goes away! I don't think it ever will. I have a lot more stories to tell.
J L
