Acceptance of My Limits

I love to look backwards and forward for different reasons. I glance back at 2015 and realize the year was a reflection of my previous years–my search for a work, life and writing balance. But is balance ever achieved?

For example, let’s look at marriage. Does the husband assume fifty-percent of the household chores? Or the wife fifty-percent of child rearing? Or does the balance ebb and flow as life’s circumstances change?

2015 ebbed and flowed for me. I wrote and published two books. I wanted to write and publish more. Instead, I decided to take a break from writing and help my husband replace the flooring in half of our house. After that project was done (difficult and frustrating at times, but we’re proud we did the job ourselves), I was ready to return to writing. The kids had started school, a perfect time to write while they do their homework. But I somehow injured my dominant arm and couldn’t type or use the computer mouse without excruciating pain from my shoulder to fingertips. I went through a couple weeks of physical and massage therapy. My pain is better but not completely gone so I limit my time at the computer, and yes, my writing.

Then recently, I was promoted at work. With my mind preoccupied with my new position and responsibilities, I had a touch of writer’s block. Currently, I write here and there, whenever I can, an ebb and flow of words, paragraphs, dialogue and word count. I’m getting to, “The End,” of Love Actually (Willowbrook #3), slowly but surely :). I hope readers will love Jaxson and Tavi’s story. It’s been two years in the making. And of course, there’s Echo and Rourke’s story in Echo (Extinction). That’s been three years in the making, and has evolved as the characters continue to grow and change in my imagination.

As I look forward to another ebb and flow in 2016, there are a couple of things from 2015 that I’ve learned to accept. Balance might be more difficult to achieve in this game we call life, but I believe acceptance of my limits and of who I am is a step in the right direction.

  1. It’s okay to be a slow writer.
  2. It’s okay to take a break from writing.
  3. It’s okay to be envious of others’ writing and publishing successes. Envy is a great motivator. Most importantly…
  4. It’s okay to not feel so bad or so guilty for not wanting to write.

Have a great rest of your 2015, and a happy start to 2016!

Quote: “Life is too ironic to fully understand. It takes sadness to know what happiness is. Noise to appreciate silence. And absence to value presence.” Unknown.

Song:  Do I Have to Say the Words? Bryan Adams