It was cold this morning when I dragged myself out of bed just after six. Cold, and much darker than it has been during the summer at this time. Autumn is coming, and with it, the school year.
Today, Thing 2 started school. Thing 1 started last Thursday. All summer long, I’ve been picking away at writing, daydreaming about longer available hours, wondering when I’ll get time to work on anything again, and now that it’s finally come: I’m sad. I’m always a little sad when the boys go back to school and the lazy summer hours are over. It’s nice having them around (though if I had a “mute” button sometimes, that’d be really helpful, thanks).
As I was driving back to the office, I thought about deep-sea jellyfish. That’s kind of what I feel like: a deep-sea jelly brought swiftly up into far less pressurized water, on the verge of dissolving into diaphanous goo. It’s a strange feeling, and one I’ll have to get used to. Thing 2 is in school for a lot more time than he was last year, and I’m doing my darnedest to make sure I preserve and protect my writing time and not let all the other bits and debris of life sweep into those holy hours. It’s easier said than done.
I’m only just beginning to get a grasp on what I’m going to work on moving forward. I’ve got the third draft of Dirty Bone to put through its paces, and it’s always a bit of an uphill battle to reorient myself after a long break. In the future, I think I’ll try to plan summer break as my ultimate time-off, with no expectations and no attempts to work on anything: a built-in rest period for work. It’s easier than beating myself up for not getting anything done, and then feeling guilty for resting and enjoying my time otherwise.
I’ve been reading a lot, and watching a bunch of movies, and I anticipate I’ll have some favorites to share here soon. In the meantime, I’m almost done with my morning time, so I’m going to read and relax for a bit before heading out to pick up Thing 2 from his first day. I hope he enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed this oasis of silence.