One might ask, am I doing with the extra time I have each day while hiding out from the world, free of most of my typical obligations? 

The truth is that not much has changed. It turns out I spend a fair bit of time every single day maintaining this Castle of a house and also helping our four children along, albeit slowly, into adulthood. Each of them is on a different trajectory and it’s no small task to aid in the next steps. 

And when I say different, I mean different. There could be more diverse situations for the four of them but not by much. Two in college, one about to graduate with her bachelor’s degree. Two not in college and learning what it’s like to work a job to earn enough to be independent, while also learning the life skills needed for that independence. Our hope for all is that eventual independence but to get there, requires a lot of input and counseling.

Still… I don’t spend all my days doing housework, teaching skills, and giving advice. So what, exactly, is taking up the rest of my time? It’s that piece of the puzzle, that elusive next evolution in my life, that BIG MOVES thing I’ve been talking about since late summer* that I knew would eventually reveal itself.

* side note — I just confirmed that I’ve been talking about BIG MOVES since at least September 3rd based on my post from that day, Headed for BIG MOVES, at my own pace… So this has been brewing for a while (even longer if you consider that I might have been thinking about something well before I decide to write about it).

Anyway, I do believe the answer to what that is has… finally…FINALLY, been uncovered. And it is definitely not what I was expecting given my other recent thoughts and circumstance. What is it, you ask?

Wait for it…

It might be…

Could be…

Possibly…

Holy cow Batman…

WRITING!!

Oh good gravy! That was way too much drama for nothing. 😂

OK, so it turns out that when I’m given a chance to de-stress, recharge, and simply open my mind to the possibilities, ideas start to flow. 

Some of them are just ideas – a one-line note in a Google doc, or a title scribbled on a notebook. But others are full first drafts of tiny little essays or fodder for poems. I haven’t held myself to a daily writing schedule so most of it has been spontaneous – a write-it-when-it-comes sort of thing. And thankfully a few times that’s been when I had time to think and write. 

And maybe that’s key for me in the phase of life I am right now. I can’t force it, but have to have enough time in the day to spend on it when it happens. I also think this freedom and NOT trying to force anything helps my mind stay open. 

I recently finished listening to Stephen King’s book, On Writing, and he keeps a strict schedule like a job. But… it IS his job and that’s how he makes a living so it makes sense that he has a regular workday routine—a set time and a certain quota of words or pages. I don’t have to have that because my job is the Castle and its inhabitants. This is perfect, in a way, because I’m not burdened by worry about security or stability. Though I doubt with Mr. King’s success he’s worried too much about those things either.

So these BIG MOVES aren’t what I was originally thinking because I was convinced it wouldn’t have anything to do with writing. I’m very happy about it, though, because I’m already educated enough to make something of it without too much extra training or education. Goodness knows, the last time I had an epiphany about making big changes in my life I ended up quitting a job and spending 30 grand (and three years) on a master’s degree. Thank the Universe my next calling in life wasn’t to be an architect or accountant or astronaut. 

I suppose that’s it for today.
Thanks for reading. 

Peace and love, 
~Miss SugarCookie