I was just given a gift of time.

It wasn’t expected, or necessarily wanted, but it’s there. Truck drivers in our area are on strike – specifically, concrete drivers and I work for a concrete company. The walk out began shortly before Thanksgiving.

I’ve had a few shorter days, plus an extra day during the holiday week that was off completely. Word came down today that it’s going longer than the company anticipated. I input data for the company. If no concrete’s getting poured, I don’t get data from labs.

As such, I was told to go to a 2 day a week schedule. As I worked yesterday and today, I won’t go back until next week. I was able to give some input on which days I wanted to work, and chose a Tuesday & Wednesday schedule.

Which means, for the duration of the strike, I’ll have 2-3 days to myself each week. In the past, I would’ve dove into doing chores, etc. Catch up on all the stuff that I felt needed to be doing. This time, I’m going to focus on what I actually want to do, what makes me feel good.

This gift of time won’t be filled with scrubbing showers and cleaning floors. It’ll be writing. It’ll be lunch with friends. It’ll be laughing with a found sister over coffee.

A few things will get done, sure. But I’m not going to sweat the big stuff. I want to see how far I can get in ‘Sword & Soul’. The first 103 pages are done and with my betas. That took me 6 months to write! By relaxing and letting the words flow over stressing about dishes in the sink, I’m confident the next 100 pages won’t take nearly as long.

I may post another teaser from ‘Scales & Stingers’ later this week. I’m undecided, but leaning that way.

Self-care is important. I can’t take care of those around me if I’m falling to pieces inside. It’s not being selfish. It’s being aware that you need that in your life.

BB/Chan Eil Eagal Orm