The Friday Five!

"here is the deepest secret nobody knows"--e.e. cummings

1. If there was an end point to this long, crazy fall, it’s today. My kid is out of school as of noon. I set the 15th long ago as the day I’d stop pushing so hard on my book and rest up for the finish. And we have ten days to get festive and do all things holiday. I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. As in, I am literally writing this from my bed, so I can just roll over and take a nap when I’m done. It’s 7:39 am. *yawns*

2. One of the downsides of being self employed is that there is no demarcation for when the break begins. You have to put yourself on vacation, which is hard for someone like me who runs on guilt and discipline. This is why I need a work holiday party. (Do people still do work holiday parties? ) If I wasn’t so tired, I’d arrange one for everyone else who has been toiling away, alone. We’d eat pigs in a blanket and pick names to exchange gifts. Drink a bit and embarrass ourselves with karaoke. Then hugs all around, see you in 2024. For now, though, this will have to do.

3. I keep getting drawn into the shows about cults. What this says about me, I have no idea. This week I watched both Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God and every episode available of The Garden. At the same time, we are watching The Crown and I am racing through 90 Day Fiance. This is *quite* a soup, now that I think about it. No wonder I’m all over the place. If you have something light and fun to recommend to balance all this out, please do. For now, I will just watch The Eras Tour on repeat, because for me Taylor is the cure for, well, everything.

4. This week, over on Oprah Winfrey’s Instagram, I saw this article about writing your own story. Now, I’m a novelist. I am always telling someone else’s tale. But I realized I have not wanted to piece together, bit by bit, my own events of the last few years. This week, though, I made myself sit down and do a timeline, starting with the Rest of the Story Book tour. Then, Twitter scandal. Pandemic. Mental Health issues. (There: I said it.) Along For the Ride movie filming. One book passed on. Movie released. Two books a no. Beginning this one. And other personal struggles, big and small, I can’t share here. All the way up to this week. It was not easy, or fun. There is a comfort in the blur and details lacking in the past. You don’t want to look too close. But I am realizing that this is the only way. Write it all down, even—especially—the hard stuff. If nothing else, you will see how far you’ve come.

5. Finally, I’ll share a stress hack, right now when you might need it most. This week I went to Flyleaf Books, my local indie, to look for some picture books for the babies in our lives. (It’s a great thing, having babies in your life, by the way.) I came in all stressed and worried, as I have been all week. After flipping through a few board books, I swear my blood pressure started to drop. But it was the one with my favorite e.e. cummings poem that brought me to the verge of happy tears. (Side note: if you haven’t seen In Her Shoes, based on the book by Jennifer Weiner, go watch it NOW.) Picture books aren’t just a balm for kids, but for all of us. We’re so lucky to have them.

   

   Have a good weekend, everyone!