The Little Successes
This. This thing? This is my printout of INDELIBLE line edits and they are complete. **Hooray!** Now I can concentrate on other things like this:
and this
and this
Ostensibly, I should be working on my next project. With the yet-to-be-named sequel already marinating in a drawer and several possible ideas on the kettle, I figure I'd languish in the pool of thought for the moment and wait until the right and proper thing rises to the surface. The one that cries out the loudest and demands to be heard. That and give my neck muscles a rest...did you know your head weights 10 lbs?!? No wonder I'm tired!
But for the moment, I want to savor the little successes. I turned-around my line edits despite physical challenges and holiday timing and made no excuses and got it in three days prior to deadline. It's a small thing, really, but it's something, and every author and mother I know out there knows to treasure these little somethings as mental Gold Stars to make it through the next time we feel overwhelmed or unable to get it done.
So now I'm looking out my office window and notice that there are leaves on the ground. Autumn's snuck up on me. This is the time to sit back and enjoy the crunch of apples, the chill in the air while walking outside, the spicy smell of woodsmoke and cloves--it's a time to reconnect with the things that make life beautiful, that time outside of the Have Tos and To Do Lists and make a little room in our heads for feeling thankful and prosperous and successful. It's Harvest Time. Sit back and take just a moment to realize all the things you made happen, all the successes you've brought to fruition, before you start this week (or the rest of today) and congratulate yourself on a job well done. If no one else is going to do it, might as well be you!
Ah, who am I kidding? As my son would say, "CONGRATULATIONS! GREAT JOB!"
(A cheering section goes a long way. Go get 'em!)