All the things I did instead of writing

Are we all feeling sluggish in the dog days of summer? I think so.

I’m proud of my consistency this summer. I’ve sent out a newsletter every Tuesday and Friday despite being in the thick of early parenthood with a fairly inconsistent childcare schedule and a slew of family events to attend. It has not been easy! Some weeks, it takes a lot of self pep talks to get a draft going, and some weeks it takes four different drafts to reach publication. Last week/weekend when I would normally carve out time to write, I…

• Attended the “Readaissance Faire” at our local library with a DELIGHTED three-year-old (and thirty-five-year-old dad) who was transfixed by the fencing demonstrations, dragon eye craft table, and free baked goods. It was an excellent event, long live libraries!

• Puttered in the garden.

• Went to a baseball game, something I hadn’t done in years. Let me tell you, as someone who formerly despised baseball for being too boring, the new play clock makes a huge difference. I actually enjoyed the game. Go Brewers!

• Drove in a torrential downpour after the baseball game and worried over my flower beds.

• Puttered in the garden again and rescued as many blooms as possible.

• Made pulled pork and lemon blueberry cupcakes for a party.

• Hosted the party.

• Took a nap.

• Sketched a zinnia with colored pencils.

• Went grocery shopping and bought six boxes of mojito flavored sparkling water from Aldi.

• Read stacks and stacks of books to my boys.

• Prepped a zucchini galette.

• Started listening to ADHD for Smart Ass Women.

• Texted friends.

• Fell asleep while putting my three-year-old to bed.

• Listened to thunderstorms.

• Went to the library, again.

• Thought about three essays I would like to write soon.

• Thought a lot about ADHD.

• Did a lot of laundry.

• Wrote a draft of a newsletter then deleted it. See, I did write! And I know, I know, that all of the things I did over the last few days filled my creative tank, which will contribute to my writing life in fresh and important ways. It’s just hard to balance that mindset with my desire to provide consistent, high quality material for readers. Writers, you get it. Readers, thanks for welcoming this list into your inbox, and see you on Friday for Part One of our Quicksand discussion.