Do What You Can Do

This home improvement mess has really played with my ambition and energy! The process as been extremely slow. Terry is a hard worker, I am not saying that he is not. He works 10to 16 hours a day. He simply does not have time to do a lot at home. He does have Sundays off and every other Monday. With a time table like that it will take a long time to get anything done. I know it sounds like I have been whining a lot on this blog. That is not my intention. I want you to see that anything is possible.

Because of Terry's schedule we take these home improvements in bite-size pieces. We usually don't have more than a day and a half at a time to work. He is very hands on so I do what I can, but he has the muscles and energy to do the heavy work. Over the 17 years we have lived in our home, we have accomplished a lot but it has all been in these bite sized pieces.

Writing a book is much like doing home improvement at my house. Start planning, thinking, and writing. I can't sit and write a whole book in a day. I wouldn't want to. I enjoy the process of watching the story unfold. I do watch the story in my mind as I write it. The characters are very real to me. I see their faces and personalities when I write them. Honestly, it is very fun. Some days it is hard to get to the computer and write but I am always glad that I do. It may be a paragraph or a time line that I work on. I may jot notes on a pad about an event I want the character to go through, but the process has to keep moving so that the momentum is not lost.

Yesterday I was wallowing in self-pity about my mess at the house. I had gotten so frustrated that I didn't even make my bed or picked up my room. That is one place that has not been affected by the remodel. Then I looked at my car. I had moved a big plant from my sister's house to my house and dumped a lot of soil and leaves in my front seat. I missed my weekly car washing...everything was a mess. Of course the car is not part of the remodel. I decided that I was tired of letting the mess overtake every part of my life so I got out my vacuum and cleaned out the car. Then I got the water hose and hand washed the car and made it shine. I loaded the dishwasher and picked up the clutter in the few rooms that are not affected by the remodel. I feel so much better.

I learned that I must do what I can do...whether it is about writing a book, preparing a speech, marketing my books, contacting friends, cleaning my stuff, or working on my house. That is all I am responsible for. One day my house will be back to normal. I am looking forward to it, but I will enjoy my life no matter what.