"If you have a task that you need to get done, give it to a busy person."
This quote is an entirely accurate depiction of the way my life works. When I am busiest, with the fullest, most scheduled, brimmingest days, I get the most done. Everything gets done. All the housework, all the shopping, all the bill paying, all the cooking, and even all the relaxing I need. I budget in relaxation time. And writing time.
I suppose this busy productivity could be in part due to my school year brain. I function on a school year calendar. For me, the year begins in late August/ early September and ends in June. Summer is not actually part of the year, which is why I get so little done at that time of year. Haha, you say, you are always running around, Shanna, you say. And it is true. I still do a lot of running around during the summer, but it is a different class of running, it's traveling, or receiving guests, or doing summer things like going to the beach and lakes, camping. And of course, these last three summers have included raising a rapidly growing baby girl. It is a lot more doing, mostly with people, and a lot less reflecting, spending time alone.
For the most part, this shift in schedule and routine is fine with me. Since I have been out of the corporate rat race and into education, summers have been naturally slower for me. I have embraced the academic year schedule. I have more time at home during the summer, which means more quality time with family and friends. Yea, we killed an entire series of Breaking Bad and have made good headway on Mad Men. Quality. Catch up time, enjoying the lull.
But my writing suffers. Just today I mentioned to a friend that I was thinking of a blog post, and she said, with a smile, "you're blogging again?!"
Ha! I knew I hadn't blogged in a while. And I have found myself in the last few weeks anxiously looking forward to the beginning of the school year, for my work schedule to change, which gives me hours alone in the evening, and for my writing to pick back up.
So here I sit, on the first day back on my new work schedule, after school tutoring for English and History students, ready to write.
Only, I've got at least ten idea for essays that are crowding around in my head, and I barely know where to begin.
So much has happened this summer, and I have so much to say about all of it. Do I begin in order of priority, level of importance to me, chronologically, most relevant?
I looked back at the last time I blogged, and it has been almost two months. In that time, I have fundraised, blogged about, and completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, spent some quality time with my mother when she came to stay for a week, walked downstairs to see the new car my husband bought and brought home as a surprise for me and Celaya, traveled to Southern California alone with my daughter to visit family, rediscovered my grandmother and her rock star status as she visited us here in our home for a week, cuddled and snuggled and laughed with my niece and nephew, sister, and brother in law when they visited for a weekend, a weekend that had us in the car for a total of 9 hours, at least, exploring different parts of the bay area. My daughter and I established our first mother/daughter play date relationship with a wonderful mother and daughter we met at the park. My skin turned against me and decided that I am now allergic to the sun, heat, wool, hot water, long drives, anxiety, stress, you name it.
Add to major events of the summer the smaller, but no less meaningful ones, date nights with my hubby, date nights with my baby brother (yep, 23, still my baby brother), park visits with my actual baby, small strides made at work, inspiration from friends, old connections rekindled. It goes on and on.
To begin then, I think I will in fact work chronologically. Well, first I will drink this glass of wine, Unruly Red, with a whole orange peeled and cut up into it, for those interested. Then, I will sit on the couch, all alone, maybe catch up on some Bill Maher, have some greek yogurt, and enjoy the solitude.
Oh, yea, I forgot to add a hefty reading list to my summer adventures. I am just finishing Gabriel Garcia Marquez' gigantic work of art. I definitely have a new appreciation for solitude.
And starting tomorrow I will begin this Summer Reflection Series, chronologically, most logically, so that I may begin to once again reflect on the day to day.
I'm back!
