Struggling Off Hiatus

It’s always been hard, it seems, to get “back in the swing” once I’ve been away for a while, and the week just past has been no exception. It’s hard enough returning to work, but it’s especially hard when that work is writing and one’s office is in his own home, as mine is.

I also ate too much, and lot of what I ate was the wrong things. There was the traditional turkey and cranberry sauce, Daddy’s hot sausage dressing (I guess the Yankees call it “stuffing,” but it never was stuffed into anything but me!), and my wife’s special cheese mashed potatoes. And melted marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole. And a lot more dishes that I couldn’t find room for on my plate.

And the pies. Oh! The pies! Pecan, apple, and pumpkin. And assorted cookies and dessert bars. None of which are on my diet plan.

I tried to work off the extra calories by installing running boards on my pickup, thereby making it easier for my four-foot, ten-inch wife to climb aboard. But I must confess that my son-in-law actually did all the work. I merely handed him the tools and parts as he needed them and tried to make sense of the confusing how-to instructions. What else can a mechanically and technologically challenged father-in-law do? It certainly gave me another reason to be thankful.

I got a lot of laughs watching as the kids helped (or did I merely help them?) put up the Christmas tree. The highlight was watching the shortest walker among the kids putting the ornaments on the tree all by herself. And they were all in one spot right at the very bottom!

And while other members of the family braved the madding crowds of Black Friday eve and early morning, I bravely kept the home fires burning and didn’t spend a cent in the process.

So, now that this hiatus is over, I must “make hay while the sun shines,” as the saying goes. Time waits for no man. A glance at my calendar tells me that Christmas is fast approaching. My wife will be out of school soon, and the “honey-do list” will grow exponentially, meaning that no writing will get done during yet another hiatus. Already I’m reminded that recent heavy rains and a stiff fall breeze have loosened the leaves’ lockhold on their branches and are accumulating on the lawn, demanding that I deal with them.

[SIGH]

But it’s so warm and relaxing sitting here in the sun on the front porch. Watching those leaves blow by. Listening to the birds and the traffic. Oh, the noise! noise! noise! noise! (This rural oasis surely has gotten busy since we first moved here!) Thinking. Meditating. Ruminating. It’s so easy to get lazy and extend that Thanksgiving hiatus.

But all good things must end. I sigh again and try to convince myself that the best is yet to be. If only I could get up and force myself to restart!

#writing #writers #grandchildren #Memories #thanksgiving #family