The last two weeks have been painful. First, my stay with my daughter and her husband ended, which meant I had to say good-bye to our beautiful grandson. Next, I spent two days figuring out what I’d been doing before my month of play (long July 4th weekend in the Twin Cities, a week in Idaho, and a week with my daughter’s family), getting the house in order, and keeping appointments.
Then it was time to visit Mom, who was more than a little miffed because I had missed 2 Wednesday visits in a row. (Never mind that the Man of Steel came in my stead both weeks.) And because her new jeans–the ones I’d spent two weeks and 3 return trips to the store until I found ones that fit her–don’t fit just like her old jeans did.
At which point I trounced her playing Rummikub.
On the drive home from that visit, I said to myself, “Now you’ll be home for several days. You’ll get caught up on your writing. You’ll have time to think and recuperate.”
At which point God laughed.
And I walked into our house where the Man of Steel was on the phone with CenturyLink, our internet provider. He was on the phone a long time and finally hung up, a bit disgusted. Which for him means saying something unpleasant in a kind way. “We won’t have internet for a week.”
At which point I began to cry.
And to pack my briefcase with all the writing materials necessary for a week’s worth of writing. The briefcase was heavy. Heavy enough that I considered cramming everything into plastic garbage bags and steeling a grocery cart from the store down the road.
At which point I realized my sister is right. I am a drama queen.
So I ditched the garbage bag/grocery cart idea. But I did spend the week as an internet homeless author, wandering the streets in search of free public free access to the worldwide web. It wasn’t fun. And I got really, really behind on my work. Frustratingly so.
At which point my daughter, the literature major, sent her edits for Run, Jane, Run via email.
That cheered me up immensely as she really liked the book, and her suggestions for improving it were wonderful. Her ideas will require several more days, maybe even a couple weeks, of revising. But it was something I could do stay home and do without internet access.
At which point the repairman came and our internet service was restored.
Which just goes to show timing is everything. And God is still laughing.
