A lot can happen in twenty-one months.
A lot did happen in the past twenty-one months.
There were daydreams.
There were disasters.
There were other distractions.
My most recent post was when my daughter had to return from maternity leave after the birth of her first child, a very cute little boy. Last week, she went back to work again. This time following the arrival of her second child, an adorable daughter. During the in-between time, they bought their first house, and tragically lost their beloved Irish Setter. They now have a new puppy that is only days younger than the three month old baby. Big brother will be two years old on Monday.
My youngest is studying in Spain this semester. She's missing things at home, but is gaining so many fantastic experiences. Then again, she's only missing them by not being physically present. Thanks to the wonderful times we live in, we can all talk any time we want to on social media like Facebook, by text, video chats, and good old-fashioned phone calls. She gets to see the little ones through frequent photos from her sister...and she doesn't have to deal with diaper duty.
We also use these newer forms of communication to be closer to my son and his family. They live several states away, but we "attend" all the birthday parties, even when we aren't there. Time to cut the cake? Good. We have one, too.
One big DISASTER that hit me pretty hard recently was the closing of the library where I was working. I was in charge of many aspects of running the place, especially all of the writing programs. My writers' group still meets, but we don't have a set place or time. It is more sporadic. It is also less attended than it used to be. Of course, that could be partly due to the horrible winter we've been having. We have a Facebook group, though, and we "talk" almost every day, offering encouragement and sharing ideas.
Since I no longer have a job, one would think that I could use all my extra time to do all the things I've been DAYDREAMING about for all these years.
I could.
I haven't.
I do keep thinking about writing more, and in the past couple of weeks have been pushing myself to do better. After all, the "I don't have time because I have to work" excuse is no longer valid. Other DISTRACTIONS keep putting me off-track. There has been serious illness in our extended family. I've had the chance to spend some time with friends I hadn't seen in a while. However, one of the worst distractions is one that is also one of those wonderful things I mentioned up there.
Easy communication. It can be an addiction.
So can the mindless games that so readily suck you in.
The good thing is that I thrive on multi-tasking and deadlines.
Just this morning I tackled all of the below...at the same time:
Look for and apply to freelance work
Keep up with social media
Chat with friends and loved ones
Listening to audio book
Play a few games
Work on a play script
Write this (long overdue) post
Three loads of laundry
Clean the kitchen
Prepare a meal
I know some people who need quiet and calm to get anything done. Not me. I think things may have been too calm around here.
What about you? Are you more productive when you are calm, or when there is chaos?
I know that when my kids were younger and I was working two jobs, running them to soccer, softball, baton, track, Brownies, Girl Scouts, other after school activities, keeping the house in liveable conditions, AND going to college full time...I seemed to be more productive.
I won't be doing much this week, and what I have to do won't let much else happen, but starting next week...I will need some deadlines, some "too much to do," or at least some chaos. Then I will make progress.
What's the worst thing that could happen? Oh...I know. I could actually GET all nineteen freelance job application that I am currently waiting to hear about.
