When Life Gets In The Way

by Jeannie Ruesch

You may have wondered why I disappeared for a few weeks, and I can assure you that you’re not the only ones. πŸ™‚Β  A few weeks ago, I was offered a new job– it’s a tremendous opportunity, working for a company I have already come to adore and with people who I’m happy to see every day.Β  It’s been wonderful.

It’s also thrown a huge monkey wrench into the plans I’d made for the last months of this year. Everything I thought we’d be doing was thrown out the window, since this job is an hour and a half away from where we live (on a good day, when the stars align and there is no traffic.)Β  Normally, it’s two hours.Β  Which means we’ll be moving. It means a temporary situation until we move that is half commuting, half staying near the job, and all-the-way time consuming until we get our ducks in a row…then move…then… So yes.Β  Hear that laughter?Β  Those are the three Ms. Fates laughing at my attempt to plan the end of my year.

It also meant putting a few other things aside while the priorities became clear and upfront: family and the work.Β  And let’s face it, we’ve all been in those situations.Β  As writers who have lives, families, jobs, and a lot of other priorities that feed into your daily schedule, it’s a constant juggling act to make sure it all fits.Β  Sometimes you have to make choices, and sometimes you have to let things go. So I made a few choices in the last week, because I had to chose.

So have you ever gotten to that point in life where the writer in you raises a hand, waves it in the air to get your diverted attention and say, Hello, what about me?Β  Yup.Β  Or your muse starts throwing tantrums and threatens to leave you for the untapped market in the seven year old down the street? (sorry, Fred.)

I’m here to tell you that sometimes, it’s okay to say, Be patient.Β  Or maybe even send your muse to chat with the seven year old for a few weeks.Β  It’s okay to make the choices you have to make. It doesn’t make you less of a writer, it doesn’t make you less focused or dedicated to what you love.

The next few months ahead of me are exciting times – exciting work, exciting adventures for my family and I know that when life calms down a bit, my writing will still be there.Β  My love and passion is just waiting to be let loose again.Β  And in the meantime, I’ll be here, sharing a slightly different side of a writer’s life.

So when was the last time you had to take a sharp detour?

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4 comments

Robin Covington October 25, 2010 - 7:20 am

Jeannie: First – congrats on the new job!

Yep -all those best-laid plans of mice and men . . . . I think it is important for us all to remember that while we love writing, it isn’t living.

We also had a big move a few years ago – we had to make decisions about what kind of life we wanted for our kids and what kind of parents we wanted to be. It was tough to let go of some dreams but we got so much more.

Good luck!

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Lavada Dee October 25, 2010 - 9:28 am

Your post reminded why I love this blog community so much. It’s a place of sharing and support as much as education and information. You’re heading in for some exciting times and think of the material you’ll be collecting for future stories.

Congratulations on the new job.

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Laurie Ryan October 25, 2010 - 6:02 pm

Ah, Jeannie, congrats on the new job. And wow, it clearly has complicated the heck out of your life, but only for a while, eh?

I’m at a different point in my life. I’ve actually been letting much smaller detours than yours circumvent my writing. So I’m in the process of making the writing a priority again.

I hope we both find sucess. πŸ™‚

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Jeannie Ruesch October 27, 2010 - 9:37 am

Okay, finally, getting to comments! LOL So sorry for the delay. πŸ™‚

Thanks everyone for the congrats. The new job is wonderful, terrific people and it’s such a great opportunity, it was a smart move on our part, even if it means a few months of difficult transition.

Robin — It’s very true. Living isn’t writing. Writing will always be a part of me, and I’ll have that no matter where I go. And right now, that means the time I spend in my car is 95% spent plotting and going over the scenes in my next WIP. If I can’t write, I can plot like the devil and make sure all the threads are tied up. I also got an app for my iphone that takes dictation, so I’m hoping to use that when the ideas need to get recorded somewhere. I’ll make it work… but in the meantime, I’m putting my focus where it should be: getting through this period with my family intact. LOL

Lavada — I agree. I love that about the group of bloggers and commentators here. And actually the entire writing community is the same. Sometimes we just need to share what’s going on in our world, too. I love that I can do that here.

Laurie, thanks! Yes, it’s definitely complicated the heck out of things right now….and for the next three to four months at least. But I’m learning to let go of what I need to let go of. It means not everyone in the world will be happy with me, but I’ll do the best I can and that’s okay. I’ve let smaller detours circumvent things as well… it’s tough. So fingers crossed for both of us to get through this with flying colors!

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