Maybe it's a sign from God

Spending the summer at the lake without wifi when you are a writer, with a blog, and other clients across the nation that contact you via email was challenging; just to put it mildly. So, once we were back home with continuous access to wifi, I found myself getting back into somewhat of a writing routine. But, of course, we had the storm that wiped out power for four days. Deadlines for stories were difficult to meet; some didn't make the cut. Then, yesterday, a neighbor's tree started to spontaneously drop branches onto our driveway. The sun was shining, and not a breeze could be felt. Yet, the tree started to drop the branches -- right down on top of our cable wires, wiping out our cable, wifi and phone service. Again.

The cable company explains the earliest they can make it out to look at the wires is Monday. Last night, another deadline loomed, and I found myself sitting on the sidewalk, in the dark, in front of my neighbor's house using her wifi to meet a deadline. Thank goodness it's still warm outside.

Of course, that night, everyone and their brother went for a walk, and I had lots of explaining to do. What I really wanted to say was, "Please, stop talking to me. I make all kinds of grammatical mistakes as it is! Please let me focus to do this right!" Instead, they asked lots of questions, and we laughed. And my deadline got pushed farther back.

When I don't get my daily dose of writing; I can get a little crazy. This is probably what it's like for people who need their coffee in the morning and they don't get it. I need to write, like coffee drinkers need their coffee.

The writing life is difficult enough; especially when you have one in preschool, and you must get it done in two-hour time blocks three times a week, or when they go to bed at night. Things get especially tough without the tools you need, when you need them. I'm already looking forward to next week, when the cable company puts the wires back into place, and I can start writing on a regular schedule once again. But, you know what? Christmas break is just around the corner; soon the kids will be home to throw everything out of whack again.

As I write this at our local library, my little boy is piling books beside me that he wants to take home. He just spotted a friend, so this gives me just a few more seconds to check e-mail. I hope everyone else is having a normal, relaxing fall.