Where’s Gold 5 to Encourage Me to “Stay on Target?”

"Almost there!"

While I enjoy socializing when certain comfort elements are met, I am not naturally an outgoing person. Pandemic lock-down was really quite pleasant! Long stretches of research and writing alternated with day-job tasks that needed to be completed and there was even time for both housework and crafts. No scheduled meetings or events to plan around!

It’s very different now and even though I’m in the final stretch of the book I’m working on, I’m having trouble staying focused. The biggest contributing issue is that we put our house of 30+ years on the market. I can’t gripe enough about how stressful it is to live in a house that no longer looks familiar and has none of the “comforts of home.” 

Cleaning – and trying not to mess up what’s been recently cleaned – consumes my days right now. Further, those days are chopped up into awkward intervals where we have to get out of the house for an hour here and there so strangers can come in and criticize our style choices. There is no routine, so I feel always on the alert and unable to settle to a task. 

There are other nagging matters, too, but, admittedly, even when all piled together, they aren’t as significant as, say, facing a cancer diagnosis. So I tell myself to stop being a baby! Just get on with it! But I can’t.

I’ve been seeing a lot of articles lately about how people are psychologically whipped by this past year of COVID restrictions, so I don’t think I’m the only one affected. Certainly, it’s been especially tough on folks that were struggling even before all of this, but I have to say that I have never experienced anything like this before – and I have a lot of years under my belt! 

I am focused on looking for roses among the thorns, sometimes quite literally. Something new is blooming in my garden nearly every day. We had to cut down two trees last year and the sun is burning out my gorgeous Hosta garden, but a major overhaul is out of the question right now. On the upside, I did put in a few tomato plants that should flourish there now. 

What I really need as I sit in front of my computer, however, is that guy from “Star Wars” encouraging me to “stay on target.” I should be flying down the trench, about to shoot torpedoes into the exhaust port, but I’m too distracted to make my final run. 

I’m sure other writers have had this experience. I’m hoping a little self-care will get me suited up again and back into my y-wing. Here’s hoping the Force will be with me!