For the past several months, I’ve been kicking myself for not doing a better job of maintaining my blog content. Then, I realized how much has happened in that time. There have been revisions for an editor, a newly celebrated agent alliance, multiple rewritings of an old as-yet-unsold project, and the research for and writing of a brand spanking new manuscript. Plus the various workshops, SCBWI meetings, and writing related listservs I’m part of. Oh, and then there’s the volunteerism and a crazy-busy family dynamic thrown into the mix, too. Suddenly, I don’t feel like such a lazy-bones anymore.
How we choose to spend our 24-hour days is a matter of priorities that can shift like sand under our feet. In my overzealous trek toward book publication, I sometimes forget to step back and take stock of the life I live. Right now, with the blessings of summer time with my kids, you can bet my offspring will be at the top of my priority list because, though my works-in-progress will sit idle, waiting for me, we all know how fleeting childhood is.
So, this summer, I hereby give myself permission to go with the flow.
It’s okay if I skip weeks of blogging.
It’s okay if I don’t read others’ blogs for a while.
It’s okay if I choose canoeing or water-biking or fishing with my sons instead of writing.
It’s okay if the writing I do happens in the middle of the night.
It’s okay to say no to volunteer opportunities.
It’s okay if I don’t keep up with the latest sales, latest trends, latest releases in the publishing world.
Life is happening while I focus on a cursor on the screen and fingers on the keyboard.
It’s out there. Everywhere.
It’s time to exhale and relax.
It’s time to see.
It’s time to feel the world around me.
It’s okay to slow down.
All I can say is Amen, honey, Amen!
I *know* all this intellectually, but it's still hard to actually carry through and not panic that I'm not doing enough. There always seems to be guilt about *something*! I've been a bad blogger, too, with so many deadlines and family emergencies and stress the past year.
But why are we hard-wired this way? Why can't we relax more, enjoy life (smell the roses) and feel good about our accomplishments?
One of those Mysteries of the Universe questions!
Thanks for chiming in, Kimberly.
Ah, yes the guilt. We're cursed with it. The mom guilt, the child guilt, the chores guilt, the non-productive writing guilt.
We do seem to be hard-wired, don't we? Maybe we're simply products of this fast paced society. I feel certain writers didn't face the same kind of distraction a hundred or more years ago.
I suppose it all boils down to the elusive hunt for balance, huh?
We're all in this game together, so maybe we can encourage each other to slow down at times. I'll write you an excused absence if you'll write mine.
You had me laughing at "I'll write you an ecxused absence if you'll write mine."
It's a DEAL, Donna!
Hope you're good. 🙂
I love your "excused absence", Donna! Taking a handful please! 😉
Yay, Kimberley! Glad you're ready to reclaim your own mental health days. have a great summer!