Life was moving along at break-neck speed. Work was demanding more than its allowed 80 hours per pay period. School was keeping me tied to my desk with Linguistics homework. The mountain of dirty laundry actually toppled over, completely blocking the back door. The stove top shattered and it took two weeks for the replacement/upgrade to arrive, while the plumbers ripped a twin-bed size hole in the ceiling to find the 1/2 inch gas line to run down the wall.
It seemed only logical that I would wake up midway through a rare four-hour slumber, completely unable to move my right leg. The burning went right down to my toes. As I hobbled to the bathroom, the pain dulled to a white ache. My doctor said to see a chiropractor, and Dr. Dan stayed late that very day to help me. Sciatica.
A while back, I had the pleasure of hearing Jean Auel speak. She was talking about writing her Earth Children Series and someone asked her how she found the time and energy to research for and write six books while raising a family and working. Her answer will forever be etched in my heart. “What do you mean, how? There is no how. You just do it.”
And that’s my new motto. There is no how. I’m just doing it. 45 minutes at a time, sitting on an ice pack. Pain pills and muscle relaxants help when it gets really bad. Massages and adjustments at Dr. Dan’s on a regular schedule. Nothing is more important than having my book ready to pitch to an agent in two and a half weeks.
How am I doing it? What do you mean, how? There is no how. I’m just doing it. Because I have finally decided what really matters.
