I have been retired for a long time now. It was not
by choice, but as it turns out, had I not lost my job, I'm not so sure I would have
started writing, now working on my fifth novel. I think what has surprised me the most about
retirement is that there never seems to be enough time in the day. Don’t get me wrong. I
am not complaining, because I know I'm very fortunate to be able to retire. It
just never occurred to me that I would not be able to get all the things done I
assumed I would get done during this time in my life.
I mentioned in my previous post that I'm going
through boxes and albums of old photographs and scanning some for a vacation
notebook, sorting others and putting them in a file case that is made for
storing photos, and throwing away some pictures. After all, we really don’t need
27 pictures of the Grand Tetons or Old Faithful. But there are other projects I
would like to work on, too. I won't mention them here because it’s kind of a
long list. There are times when I feel almost overwhelmed, thinking I'll never
get through any of these projects. I wrote that post about the photo project
last July, yet I'm not even close to having that project completed. I won't mention
all the books I want to read. Well, I guess I just did mention it, but it’s
quite the stack. And yes, that doesn’t stop me from buying more.
I started to think about all I want to accomplish
these days. I came to realize that it isn't
all that important if a project never gets done. Oh yes, it does feel good to
cross off something on my long "to do" list, but it also feels good
just to work on a project. If something doesn’t get done, that’s okay. I
decided to enjoy the task, even if it might be a boring or tedious one, rather
than get frustrated if I'm not making fast enough progress.
It has been a long time since I published my last
novel, The Last Cottage. I hope to create a series of 5 novels, and I have
tentative plots for these next 4, but it’s hard not to be frustrated that I have
been slow in getting this next story out.
But again, I had to stop and realize writing is just one of the many
things I'm working on. There are days I don’t feel like writing or I'm not sure
where the next chapter is going. I have days where I don’t do much of anything,
but that’s also okay. It’s one of the many privileges of retirement!
I have often said I'm not sure I'll actually write
all 5 stories, but instead of feeling frustration about that, I'm simply going
to enjoy what I do get done. I have to remember that I start out writing a
chapter, and then it changes or it expands to a longer chapter than what I originally
outlined. Even the story itself will change. This next novel I have tentatively
titled The Last Letter. It will tie in with The Last Cottage. There
will be a connection beyond just the May 10th ladies. I hope to
create a series where each book connects to the previous one, all with the
last being a part of each story. A lofty plan, but I'm excited to see if I can
make it work!
I had outlined about 10 chapters of this current
story, but I had to start over again because I did manage to change the direction
a bit, so I have learned it’s probably better not to jump that far ahead. So if
you have a "to do" list of projects, enjoy the journey of getting there,
or even not getting there. It’s always going to be time well spent!
Thanks so much for stopping by. Keep reading, keep writing, and enjoy your time!
