Sometimes we all need to treat ourselves with kid gloves and spend a day out on the playground.”
The busyness of life can be overwhelming.
Much has happened in the year-and-a-half since I posted on Treading Water (and then immediately withdrew it and put the blog on hiatus). A week after that first entry in April 2011, my nephew moved in, my office turned into a walk-in closet and storage unit, and then there were four in my shrinking, two-bedroom, 1200 square-foot mancave turned nursing home turned flophouse: Mom, Sis, Nephew…and somewhere floundering in all the clutter—me.
I remember feeling hesitant and ill-prepared about this blogging venture anyway, not really knowing how to proceed, what direction to go. I knew nothing about blogs or the world of online writing; I was simply trying to document the little world around me—my thoughts about the situation with Mom and the joys and difficulties of these years together.
Fear dictated and led a reign that saw days when every excuse in the book Not To Write was common law. Add to that, I now had to muse and research and eke out a story at a shared desk with Nephew playing World of Warcraft a nerve-racking inch-and-a-half away. There was always something…just not the blog.
But onward I trudged doing whatever I could to grow in the craft. If I didn’t know something, I sought answers and learned. I joined several writers’ groups to keep my passion alive, never stagnant. Despite the din and clutter in my house and my mind, I used the time constructively: read a lot, wrote flash fiction, learned to better self-edit, read even more, and found the Peace to Pen in a World of Warcraft. And I’ve also planned a manuscript.
Not about Mom, though. A fun little Young Adult romp. Sometimes we all need to treat ourselves with kid gloves and spend a day out on the playground.
Take the time you need, but still do the things that need to be done. Get your house in order, the best you can, and then chase your dreams with complete abandon. Write, or somehow work on the craft or whatever your outlet may be that keeps you sane, but be diligent…don’t let excuses and obstacles bog you down and keep you from creating.
And most of all, make it fun.
The busyness of life can be overwhelming. Don’t let it. Breathe.
Peace,
ML Swift
M.L. Swift, Writer 
Good reminder to keep it fun. I love the rare moments where a story captures me and I just write without thought to editing or corrections. But, oh my, that inspiration can be elusive sometimes.
I had a story like that not too long ago about trees. The concept was so much fun, with inspiration crawling out of the woodwork, and I wrote and wrote without any thought at all…lost in the playfulness of the piece. It turned out to be one of my better, albeit whimsical, pieces.Thanks for stopping by!
Ahh, the Zen of Chaos. Sounds like your nephew may inspire some creative characters from that World.
What are you doing way down here in last year’s posts? LOL. I’m actually putting together an anniversary post for tomorrow and have just recently been down here myself.
Ooo and gasp– I LOVE the synopsis. Oh Mike, that kind of book is right up my reading alley! I’m so glad you found your way to blogging, writing and sharing your incredible writing gift and unique perspective with us and with the world. I KNOW I will say, “hey, I knew that guy way back when…”
LOL. First, Charmaine came yesterday and read this post, now here you are today. Has this become the new secret hangout? “Hey, let’s go drink and smoke at the bottom of one of Mike’s old posts…they only have one or two comments, so there’s plenty of room and the Po-Po don’t bother you down there.”
I tell you, Julie, I’m coming up on a year tomorrow and in looking back at some of these posts, they feel like yesterday (except I seem so “young” and full of energy). I can’t believe I even made the decision to do NaNo just four days into blogging.
And all the changes. That’s what tomorrow’s post will concern. The year that changed my life.
Thanks for popping by and lifting me up with your words. They mean much more than you think, I’m sure. And this time, I’m responding with my REAL name. My, how I’ve grown.
I hope you do enjoy it—with all that we’ve been through together, you are definitely first in line for an ARC.
And…I’m already saying how I knew Julie Luek way back when. With all you’ve accomplished, I’m so proud to call you friend. I see great things in both our futures.
🙂 Mike