If I were in college my blog title today would imply I might be trying to get into a sorority. If only such a simplicity of purpose was part of the make-up of my world, our world. RUSH. The word means 1. move fast. 2. attack suddenly. 3. act or move at high-speed. 4. urge to an unnatural speed. 5 cause to move fast or race. 6. advance the ball by running into the line.

Most days begin for me at 5:30, which isn’t a bad time, I’ve had worse. I help out with my grand girl so her mom can go to work. I love that I get up with the sweetest little face in the world next to mine. We sing a song from Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood that goes like this: Get up. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Brush teeth, and go to school.

And that’s what we do. Only it’s not my school, it’s hers. She’s in preschool.

Some mornings the YMCA is next. I participate in a stretching and balance class. Then home to spend time on social media, sometimes too much time because it is my favorite procrastinating tool. Usually there is something pressing that needs to get done. This week I made a website for my husband. http://www.Nolendental.com. Monday my mother-in-law had a pacemaker put in but then she lost some ability and had to go to rehab. I’m hoping she gets better soon. My husband is very concerned about his mom and concerned with the dental practice he just opened. Spending time away from it isn’t good.

I’m interjecting a dog picture here. I hope it makes you smile. He makes me smile.

Life intervenes doesn’t it? I had this wonderful conversation with another writer yesterday at my book signing. I love book signings, I meet the most fabulous people. She and I were discussing the fact that between children, spouses, illness, aging parents, broken things that need to be fixed, fixed things that break again, emergencies, exhaustion, driving, sleep, non-sleep, a need to spend time with friends, eating, and life in general, there isn’t much time to do the creative thing that sets us free and lifts our spirits. The thing that keeps the bad thoughts, the put-down thoughts at bay. Because most people have negative feelings about themselves. And writers and artists are loaded with negative feelings and thoughts about themselves and their work. It’s what keeps us on edge, or angry, or sleepless. It’s what drives us to do the thing we need to do, that creative thing, writing, art, music.

Life is messy, inconsistent, and consequential. You must work around it. Stay up late, get up early, exercise. Drink water. Sit up straight. Sing the Daniel Tiger song.

Hey, You!

Yes, You, the one who wants to accomplish a thing of beauty. The one who has dreamed of one day writing a novel, or painting an amazing painting, or playing a minuet, or singing in the opera. You are not alone. Here comes life, with the important things, the immediate things, the urgent things. May it always be. Don’t ever say to yourself – “one day I’ll do…”. Do it now, because “one day” isn’t ever going to get here. You won’t reach that day because on that day something else will call your attention away. So guess what? That day is here.

I’m hoping you have friends who will understand, a spouse who will cook you supper, a mother who will keep the kids. Or if you don’t, I hope you investigate and discover all those moments that you could dedicate to your art, are moments hidden within the viewing of television (how about that Sherlock series?) or in reading, or in busily doing social media of some kind. So give up the television (you can record it), the novels (for a time), or the social media, or whatever you do that you think is helping you relax because it isn’t. If you are an artist of any kind, you need to practice your art to relax.

Don’t take my word for it.

Begin again.

Go!

P.S.S. I told Eliza that I would share her wasp joke.

Where does a bee go when its sick?

To the waspital.