When life gets in the way

So January came and I was all amped up about my work in progress and putting in the time to get it done. This, 2012, was to be the year. It better be the year, because according to the Mayans, we’ll all be dead before Christmas.

And, to be honest, I took a few mulligans on days when I got home from work and really didn’t feel like doing the work, which was okay, because I could pick it up when I was less frazzled.

And then my son’s Little League coach said that he really didn’t have any other parents on the team who would step up and coach and since I’d helped…

Sigh.

I’d arranged some things to give me some time to write this winter and spring. And now they’re unarranged.

And you know what? That’s probably okay.

Life is what happens when you aren’t writing. My son is fourteen, and as we’ve discovered with my daughter, the time between a child’s 14th birthday and 18th birthday is about fifteen minutes. There aren’t that many more chances for us to connect with him in lasting ways while home is still under the roof I pay for.

So I’ll coach his team–the Reds–during spring ball. It’s already started by the time you read this and it’ll feature 1-3 games a week from now until May sometime. And it will be good and I’ll be making a positive difference with the youth of this country.

Me and Sparky have something in common. Fortunately, it's not being dead.

And I’ll squeeze in what writing I can between practices.

But I’ve decided that for now, Little League trumps baseball. And working out trumps Little League. Which means for now, the work on my piece will have to fit in.

It means I’ll have to try harder. It also means some things that writing trumps will have to go on a further-back burner.

It’s called life. Maybe right now you’re starting a graduate program. Or you’re caring for a loved one who can’t care for himself. Or you just had a baby. Or you’re facing medical problems. There are things more important than putting words to paper. When that happens, you have to do what you have to do. You make your decision and go with it.

Sometimes that means other things come first. And that’s okay sometimes, as long as you make the long-term commitment to your craft. Your work-in-progress will be there when you get done.

You just have to come back.

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