"Houston, we have a problem."
Everyday now for 16 days, I could not wait to sit down and start writing. Sometimes it was at 5:00 in the morning, other times it was late in the evening-- always before 12:00 because I did not want to miss the deadline. No matter the time, the page called to me, and it ran through my thoughts until I could find time to breathe life into it.
However, for the last two days, I began to feel the pull. A giant Wile E. Coyote Acme Magnet had been pointed towards me and I could no longer resist the draw of other obligations. Wilted organic veggies lay dying a slow death in the crisper as I ignored them preferring to dine instead on Lay's Cheddar Chips while writing. In the laundry room, a third hamper was now filled and overflowing and my drawers were almost depleted as the wash waited patiently for me to take notice. And my poor husband gave furtive glances afraid to suggest any modicum of time or food be thrown his way. I realized it was time. I needed to fulfill my wifely duties.
I suppressed my new addiction to the keyboard yesterday and found my way to the kitchen. I cooked dinner and accepted my husband's invitation to watch a movie. It was nice. I didn't realize that I had actually missed it (somewhat), but was I thinking about writing the whole time? I plead the fifth.
Lastly, today I opened my gradebook and found, or rather did not find, grades. I had not added the last two assessments. "What? How in the world did I do that?" I pondered. Then it hit me. Instead of coming home, cooking and cleaning and then grading into the night, I was rushing to my computer to write all the stories that fought for my attention all throughout the day. And that is when it hit me, it's a trade off. If I want to write, I have got to give up something in return. Will it be dinner, grading, lesson planning, work, husband, children, friends, the house, the wash...?
What are you giving up to hone your skills?
I so understand the feeling! Today I wrote a post about the trade-off of time too, only mine was about reading. I love the line, "A giant Wile E. Coyote Acme Magnet had been pointed towards me and I could no longer resist the draw of other obligations," and the way you express the continuous flow of thoughts to stories and events that would make a good slice!
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