Life Happens

 October 6, 2016

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball, sometimes more than one at a time.

Three weeks ago, I came home from a brief retreat at my brother’s cottage to the sound of rushing water, coming from the depths of our house. It took ten days, and periods of shutting the water off, to finally find the source of the leak and get it taken care of. Amidst this, I received a call that my step father was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. Then ensued four days of going back and forth to the hospital, including a 2a.m. trip to the hospital with my mom and a 4a.m. call a day later when we received the word that he had passed. This was followed by four days of funeral preparation, visitation, and the funeral.

My mother had only been married to my step dad for a little under 5 years, still family members gathered to celebrate his life. He was a WWII veteran, seeing action on the Pacific and European front. He and his first wife never had any children. When he married my mom, he gained 5 children (plus spouses), 15 grandchildren (plus spouses), and 5 great grandchildren. An Irish man, he had a quick temper and was equally quick to apologize and tell others how much he appreciated them. He loved life, music and singing, church, his country, and my mom.

During this time I was able to hold my niece’s 6 month old twin babies and spend time with other nieces and nephews I haven’t seen for a while. They were hard days, yet good days, filled with family. It was one of those family reunions we don’t plan but just happens.

This was followed by a weekend taking care of two grandchildren, the visit of my daughter with my newest grandson and my sister who came to stay with my mom for a while to help her adjust.

And so my writing has suffered. I have had little time or energy to write, a source of frustration because I’ve read a number of blogs on writing insisting on the need to write on a regular basis whether you feel like it or not.

If I were working at a “real” job, I would have either had to take time off from work, or continued working despite all that was happening and power through. But writing is different. Some jobs I can do despite being tired and mentally exhausted. Not writing. Sometimes you just don’t have the inspiration or the energy required to be creative.  Best to just accept this, let yourself rest and trust that with sufficient time, the inspiration will return. And so, that’s what I’ve been doing.

People are more important than anything, even writing. And so I’ve been spending time with people I love.

How do you handle the curve balls life throws your way?

In my book, Dancing on a High Wire, three women are thrown curve balls but manage to not only survive, but thrive. Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free copy. Just click on the yellow box in the right hand column.