Winter weather gives me an excuse

Dogwood after January snowstorm.

Dogwood in our front yard, January 12.

Lovely day to wake up to. Unlike a lot of my friends farther east and north, I saw the sun shining when I got up this morning — much to the dismay of my son, who really wanted another snow day.

Of course, all that snow on the ground meant the only time I went out of the house (other than barely stepping out the door to grab pictures) was to check the mail (never know when I might get an acceptance or rejection). No walking. No driving to the doctor. Nothing that involved stirring away from the warmth of my computer monitor.

Yes, I know the monitor’s not warm.

The “no excuses” isn’t going as well this week. Haven’t walked. Haven’t written. Haven’t quilted. Spent some good family time, though, and started reading an excellent book that I should have read years ago (The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss). Also, paying work is going well.

I’m not quite hibernating, but part of me wishes I could. This blog post is a step toward doing something more, stretching out. I’ll work on an outline later, after dinner. Tomorrow, I call to make a doctor’s appointment. I can’t move forward if I’m standing still.

Even if “still” is lovely and pristine, like a tree covered with fresh-fallen snow.

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6 Comments

  1. Well, true, but it’s also true that sometimes you need a day or a week or a month to be still and rest and recover, the way the land rests and recovers under its blanket of snow.

    • It’s a fine line. I look at people like Jay Lake (full time job, cancer, chemo, dad, plus full time writing) and Lance Armstrong (one of his Tour wins, he had pneumonia), and I figure I should be able to push through more, even when I’m sick. On the other hand, Jay makes a point of moving & getting a full night’s sleep every night (as long as pain & meds allow), and Lance certainly was in better shape to begin with, as well as having medical help. So I’m trying to cut myself some slack for this last week, since I did take so long to get the help I needed. (And sleep is always iffy for the mom of a toddler.)

  2. I loved The Name of the Wind! Can’t wait for him to publish the next one. Hibernation sounds like a good idea, really. Sometimes you just need to stop.

    • The next one is due out the beginning of March! So, arguably, I picked up The Name of the Wind at a good time — soon enough to read it, but not so early that I had to wait 4 years for the next book. 😉

      Okay, that’s two votes for me taking it easy. Maybe I should listen?

  3. Wonderful book! And I understand your sentiment completely. That’s why I do lots of work Monday-Friday and let myself do nothing on weekends. I can relax without guilt and I can work without resenting it because I know I’ll be relaxing again soon.

    • I’m trying to do that more this year — reserving my weekends for family time. Of course, I’m realizing that heaping unreasonable expectations on myself when I’m still burdened with bronchitis isn’t a good recipe for productivity, even during the week.

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