This is my weekend to catch up on everything I didn’t do last weekend. I jampacked yesterday with errands, an endless backlog of household chores, and an intense desire to destroy my list. I imagined the joy of grabbing a cup of coffee, my current read, and settling into my comfy chair for the duration. It’s my fault. I know what happens when I start a new book—I don’t want to put it down until I reach the last page.

Since I know my preference, the sensible choice would be a compromise that involves forcing myself to select a short story collection or a sweet novella. Nope, that would be too easy. I want a sweeping epic fantasy, with multiple books in the series where each installment clocks in at 700-800 pages. I have difficulty believing people who claim they can read a chapter a night before bed. What? If I want to sleep, the last drowsiness aide on my list is reading. Embarking on a new story is a sure-fire prescription for a sleepless night, a yawned-filled day, and a heated argument about when to begin reading the next book.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 282 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

No one was happier than I was when Friday came early. I’m always a bit surprised and beyond delighted when the weekend arrives to shut down and crazy and unpredictable work week. We employ every ounce of wisdom when we schedule over-committed weekends as a thematic dovetail to a series of insane workdays. Or maybe I am just blessed.  It seems there is no rest for the wicked. One of these days, I need to figure out the secret of the people who always claim to be bored. I might have a few spare hours for that research on the twelfth of never.

Someone famous once said there is plenty of time for sleeping when you are dead. I suspect that is only wishful thinking.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 431 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

By the end of the day, I am exhausted, and often my fondest wish is to fall into bed and sleep. However, my scheduled writing sessions begin at 9 pm and end when I cannot string words together to form coherent sentences. It’s not ideal, but I try to make the best use of the time available to me. Friends think I am exaggerating when I say I have woken with the imprint of my keyboard on my face. I assure you the tales are true. It happened again last night, and it’s a royal pain to delete pages filled with repeated letters.

I’m not sure how the days have slid into Friday already. According to my workload, it should only be Tuesday. Slowly, surely, and with dogged determination, I will right the ship, adjust my sails, and carry on.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 454 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I’ve been waiting for months to be eligible for the Covid vaccine. I don’t remember the last time I was too young and too healthy for anything, but that was my situation. I watched older friends and relatives as they each got their shots, and I breathed a sigh of relief when they only experienced minor issues. Younger friends and family with conditions I was unaware of also received their doses and breezed through the process. I am thrilled the virus now poses less of a risk to them. And I waited.

Delaying my shot coincided with assuaging my anxiety. I have a long history of pronounced reactions to injections. My mother laughs when she tells the story of me fainting as a child with each required immunization. Those needle jabs always left bruises and welts at the injection site, and it was not uncommon for me to feel ill for a day or two afterward. The doctors all said I would outgrow it. Yeah, that didn’t happen. The reactions followed me into adulthood, and I feel like an idiot when I warn my nurses. I love the nurse who takes me seriously and takes necessary precautions. I have paid a hefty price in concussions, a gashed head, and in one case of carpet burns on my forehead when they scoff at my warnings.

Finally, my state said I could get my vaccine. With mixed emotions, I scheduled my appointment and arranged for my backup person to go with me. As the moment approached, I steeled myself for the encounter and began repeating my mantra. “I will remain conscious. I will remain conscious.”

The nurse was wonderful. She asked detailed questions about what to expect and assured me that we could stay as long as I needed. An hour after she administered the shot, I was still dizzy, but leaning on my friend, we made it to the car. I don’t remember the drive home. Then the fun began. My entire left arm, from my shoulder to my fingertips, went numb. The lightest touch of my shirt sleeve created unbearable agony, my head hurt, I felt nauseous, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I took a dose of a pain reliever, and I slept.

They warn you that you might experience side effects for several days. Four. Four days elapsed before I began to feel human again and just in time to return to my 9 to 5, where my desk disappeared under the backlog of work. Monday evening, I shut my computer and went to bed. On Tuesday, I stayed awake long enough to eat my dinner. And my writing? I haven’t written a word until now.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It is appropriate that on hump day, I felt as if I reached the summit of an insignificant incline in otherwise flat terrain. On a typical week, I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed it. Like a runner approaching the end of a grueling marathon, even a minor grade change can threaten to stop you in your tracks. This moment is the ultimate test. Their training, or lack thereof, will make them or break them. Did they learn to dig deep, find the last remnants of energy, determination, and raw nerve to finish the task they started?

I am spent. Yet I feel a certain satisfaction, and I rejoice when I realize I am on the downhill side of coasting toward the weekend. Plenty lies ahead for me to accomplish.  I foresee more challenges to meet and no shortages of uphill struggles to overcome. To the victor of even tiny wins goes the reward of a peaceful and sound night’s sleep.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 424 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Monday took everything out of me. My concentration deserted me, and I bounced from project to project, accomplishing nothing significant. These days drive the annoying, disappointing, and frustrating feelings to the breaking point. Every bone in my body screams to move forward, but my brain won’t comply. The sensible thing to do is rest. Unfortunately, that protocol malfunctions, so I took a nice long walk instead. It was enough to sync mind and body, so they reached a consensus and let me sleep.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 139 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer