So Much More

This morning I got up and rolled out of bed thinking about the gym. I've become an everyday gym user the past few weeks. I realized that if I am not doing something engaging in the morning, I won't wind up doing it or even get to it. Now I have a five thirty routine. I get up, I get dressed, brush my teeth and head out the door to wait for the bus.

After letting people know of my routine, they all asked, "How about your writing? Are you still doing it?" No matter what the truth was, I wanted to answer "yes". However, that is not the whole truth. I didn't want to answer "no" because then I'd feel like I let myself down. So I devised a way so that I'd be able to do it so that I'd be able to feel like I am getting things accomplished when normal people would cop out and say, "I'm a busy mom." I'm a busy mom too, but when you have things that are so important to you, when your goal is to become a writer (or to be a writer) and you need to put food on the table and clothes on your kid's back, you need to make time. This is what I've done.

So, instead of having a set time for writing or reading, I've been writing in the notes section of my iPhone while I commute to and from work every day.  Not all of the writing is junk, most of it's ok and needs significant work, but it is getting done in short bursts of time usually spent commuting.

Many people might ask, "Well how about the weekends?" Weekends are reserved for the spaghetti faced kid that I don't get to spend time with.

It is also spent learning new painting techniques.

Soon, I'll be cleaning up the backyard so that I can hang out with friends BBQ style eating fresh tomatoes from my garden, so weekends are out of the picture for now.

Even as I sit writing this, I realize I love routines. I love being able to read and write when I want. I want to be able to do a lot with my life and still be the conventional mom who makes dinner and reads stories. There is no reason to not be any of those things, but there is every reason to be so much more.