A Daily Dose of Creativity

Work ethics

         My husband made a comment to me last night that really hit home. He said,"No wonder you sleep in late and are hard to get up in the mornings. You sit in here [the sewing room] until all hours of the night on the computer and don't go to bed on time."
         To my defense, I told him that I was working. I think that it is so hard to find time to write during the day. I have a house to run, children who need tending to,since I am my children's teacher I have lessons to prepare,grade, and type up, pets that have to be cared for, and dinners to prepare. That is a lot going on during the day, and at night, out of consideration for my husband, unless my back is hurting (the comfortable chair is in the bedroom), I go to the sewing room to write.
         I like to write in the sewing room. It is the best place to write and be fully focused on writing. There are no distractions. There is no internet access, no games (well, maybe one, but the computer has no sound, so the game is not much fun to play), and if I need a distraction, there are plenty of creative outlets in there.
         I keep all my books in that room, my guitar, and lots of other fiber art stuff to do. But I try to make sure that when it comes to time to write, I am writing. Sure I may stop every once in a while and think about what my character needs to do next, or what twist the plot needs to take to stay interesting, but I tend to do that while playing the guitar, knitting, or crocheting.
         Even during school hours in our house, I am thinking. Perhaps it is something my children say, or the lesson. These are all learning moments, research for future books or the current one, and I plan to take advantage of every second that I have.
         Then if I need to, I can take a break without feeling too guilty.
         So my defining moment when my husband made his comment is this: Am I neglecting my family by spending time writing, or am I benefiting us in the long run? I hope that perhaps by spending time after everyone has gone to sleep writing will benefit my family in the long run.
         Currently we are a one income earner family where we really need to be a two-income family. My husband works full time at one job and part time cutting grass and doing some landscaping work on the side.
         I left the job market back in 2001 with the goal of pursuing my dream: writing. Several bouts with depression, health issues, and deaths in my family set me back to the point where I had no hope left in me. I stopped doing everything that meant so much to me: my writing, my crafting, and music. This year, even in the midst of my battle with my health I have gained a renewed sense of hope.
         Watching my mom fight cancer last year and seeing her faith unwavering through many months of chemo to come through it triumphantly with one battle won I saw what I aspired. To have that kind of hope, faith, and courage.
         Now as though God had timed it so perfectly, I am undergoing the same tests my mom did before she received her diagnosis. A CT scan that showed something and they need to go lower. Knowing something is wrong but not able to put your finger on it. But I know that as I endure these tests, that my faith will not faulter and that I will emerge triumphantly on the other side, stronger, braver, and I will have a testimony much greater.
         So for now, I press on, writing, putting words to paper to achieve my goal no matter what. Knowing I wasted such precious time these last few years by giving up. With each word and story that I write, I am strengthening my skills and honing my craft. I will be victorious.

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