Treading Water

Ever have one of those days, month or year where it feels as though finding the time to catch your breath is hard to come by? It’s been that kind of year for me. Thinking back to the last couple of months, I’m so glad I took a break from writing. The break made me realize how much I miss the creative side of my brain. I just wish the physical and mental part of me has more energy to commit to writing daily. As it is, I’m barely threading water. Since my promotion at the day job, the responsibilities of my new position has been the main focus of my thoughts while writing has taken a back seat. Yet, I struggle to put my writing side-by-side with the ideas churning in my head of all of the possibilities for my day job. Every day, I tell my husband, “Okay, I’m gonna sit down and write now.” He’d say, “Is that a threat because you’ve been saying that everyday and I haven’t seen you do it yet.” Then he smiles that gorgeous smile of his and his blue-green eyes twinkle.

But he is so dead on.

I envy writers that write full time. They’re able to bring in enough income from their books to pay the bills. I’d love to get to that point. However, I genuinely love my day job and enjoy the people I work with. They’re like my second family. The job stimulates my brain. And honestly, I’ve worked my butt off for too long to get where I’m at to want to give up the job now.

I think I can have both my writing and my day job without giving up one or the other. I believe my writing helps me think outside of the box for my day job. And the complexity of my day job, including how long it’s taken me to get to this point in my career (17 years as an RN, 10 of those in the Emergency Department), reminds me that hard work, patience, and resiliency will eventually get me to a good place in my writing too. What is that good place? I don’t write fast, but I’m hoping the good place is publishing two to three books a year with overall steady sales of all of my books, good reviews and a growing readership as well as networking with more fellow writers and connecting more with my readers. I’m not asking for much. I’m just asking for more time. And asking for more time is truly about finding a good balance. That has been the theme for me this year and every year since the writing bug bit me in 2010.

So for now, I’ll have to find snippets of time here and there to sit in front of the computer and put the stories in my head to paper (word document).

Thank you so much for continuing to stop by and read my blog posts. I know I plan things then realize it’s not working out (blogging three times a week) and don’t follow through. I hope you’ll see this as a weakness of mine. I get excited and in my excitement I shout my plans to the world (HELLO WORLD). Or maybe it’s just bad juju (my kids laugh when I say the word juju) to share prematurely :).

I’ll be off the grid for about a week as I study for a certification for my day job. My test is next Friday and I’m nervous as heck. Until the next blog post, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!