Oh the Excuses You'll Contrive

Just slightly over a year ago I wrote a post that said: "I very much want to finish the first draft of Lilly's story before the end of August.  My kids go back to school on the 22nd and Guild Wars 2 starts on the 25th, so I'll be super busy and distracted after that day. "

Excuse me while I double over from wry laughter.

Oh, if only the start of the school year and a game launch had been my only distractions in the past year...

One day after writing that post, my husband broke his leg in three places.  He required a 4 day hospital stay and major surgery.  He couldn't place any weight on his leg for nearly six weeks and was on crutches for some time after that.  I had to play the role of home-nurse as well as wife and mother.

Two weeks after writing that post, my broken-legged husband was laid off from his job. We were faced with finding a new job for him while he couldn't walk or drive. He did, thankfully find a great company to join...in Seattle.

Three months after writing that post, we were unpacking after our THIRD 900+ mile relocation in the space of THREE years.  I spent my days trying to shepherd my two learning-disabled boys through the processes of new schools, new friends, and new routines while my nights were spent unpacking.

Also, in the past year, I've had to fly across country for a wedding, had major abdominal surgery, and managed to (barely) hold onto my sanity.

What's the point?  I've come to the realization that life is never going to be any easier or less stressful.  I will never have fewer demands on my time or a magical cave to which I can escape and spend my hours leisurely typing out fantasies.

I'm going to have to write as I always have: hurried snippets scribbled in margins of school notebooks, grocery lists, and Little League scorecards. I'm going to have to  struggle for every second it takes to get Lilly, John, Lance, Ailee, the Roman, Teriwyn kho'Khanna, and the rest of my characters onto paper.

If these imaginary friends of mine want to survive, they're going to have to fight for it.  Buckle up, it's going to be an interesting (Wash definition of interesting) ride.