Thursday morning, I dropped my husband off at his (closed) office so he could declutter his desk and continued south to a giant, bubble-enclosed pool so my 12-year-old could fulfill the last of his Second Class requirements.
I walked in carrying my computer, and the adult, who’s seen me sitting on the floor outside many, many scout meetings working, shook his head and chuckled. “You carry that thing everywhere, don’t you?”
Um, yes. Yes, I do.
Some people crank out novels and songs at breakneck speed. I am not one of them. I have many thoughts on this, but none of them really matter except to acknowledge the reality. I will never be a book-a-year author.
But now that I have a book out, I can’t just pick at the edges anymore. I really do have to get the next one ready. And 2021, with its 70+ medical appointments and 4 kids in 4 schools, half of them online for some portion, was a bruiser of a year for getting a novel ready for publication.
So yes, I take that thing everywhere. If I’m picking up my husband to go to lunch or waiting for Kid #3 to get done with band or musical practice–laptop is out in the front seat of the car. If I’m biking out to sit by the river for 3 hours–75% of the time the laptop is in the backpack. If I’m sitting at scouts? Laptop. Holding seats at a Christmas concert? Laptop. Early for Jazzercise? Waiting outside piano lessons? Waiting in an examination room? Laptop, laptop, laptop.
I suppose I AM still picking away at the edges, aren’t I? Because that’s the reality of this season of my life. But by golly, I’m picking away much more intensively than I used to!
Status report: major revision 2/3 finished!
Kathleen M. Basi 