In college, I had a poster that highlighted the benefits of contrasting activities.
For instance, it said that going out at night with friends ceases to be fun if it's not balanced by having some nights at home alone with a book and hot chocolate.
And that having the flu means you get to stay in bed and lose weight, whereas having a cold means you get to stay in bed and eat.
You get the idea.
I love immersing myself in interesting projects, which many times center around great stories, whether reading them or writing them.
And while I did have a long list of projects I wanted to accomplish over these last four days, I did nearly complete the two at the top of my list.
I finished the memoir and updated the family on its progress.
I almost finished the first round edits on a novel for a client. And I'm fairly certain I can finish those edits over the next couple of weekends.
As far as the memoir, I'm giving the whole a fresh read on Saturday and doing some tightening. Then Rebekah and I are meeting with Phyllis on Sunday to discuss photo placement and finish the formatting and cover design.
The goal is for Phyllis to see the proof before Christmas. Then I can do the final copy editing.
I had some other miscellaneous tasks I'd hoped to accomplish (like unpacking, pruning email) but those can wait.
Instead, I rested a lot, spent time with family, watched two episodes of I Can Hear Your Voice with Rebekah and the first few episodes of Disenchanted with Daniel, and attended a funeral Mass and luncheon.
Life is not all about projects.
But it's also not about the lack of them.
All-consuming projects and developing our talents take the attention off ourselves and onto the work: a good way to pass time.
Using those talents for others is also a good way.
People to love make the passing of time worthwhile.
Giving thanks for all.
Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."
No comments:
Post a Comment