Yes, I’ve been thinking of my post and what I could write about. Writing my post is on my to-do list, so I’ve been contemplating it since at least Sunday.
When my alarm went off this morning, only the thought of having nothing written down before the deadline got me to sit up and open my computer.
Of course, computer open, Word open and fingers on keys, is not stimulating any ideas.
The writing experience isn’t usually putting words on paper in an easy flow of words. It’s usually choppy. Typing/writing a few words, reconsidering it and erasing all or most of them. Getting a paragraph or two down and then deciding you started at the wrong place or left information out. Typing a few sentences and realizing they just don’t fit the flow you’re trying for so deleting them. Or just plain pausing for minutes, hours, even days, trying to figure out how to go from where you’re at to get to the end of the line, sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, book.
And the hardest part isn’t coming up with the ideas but trying to get the words to flow in easy, readable lines that clearly present your ideas.
And amongst all the attempts to just write you have to deal with all the activity around you because, unless you live with no other living beings, you are going to get interrupted for one reason or another.
If you have a cat, like my sister does, then the likelihood of having said cat sitting on your keyboard to get your attention is high.
I don’t live with cats, but we do have dogs.
Our largest, and youngest one, Lakota, does not like me. She’ll get on my bed but only on my husband’s side and I can get her off simply by saying hi to her. Our tri-pod, Xavier, isn’t getting any younger and often just finds a soft place, often on the foot of my bed, to sleep. Except for his snoring and his incredibly stinky farts, you wouldn’t even notice he was there.
But the one I’ve been dealing with the most lately is our little guy, Ivan. He’s 16, which is incredibly old for a dog, and his health is showing his age. He very much prefers to be snuggled up to a warm body sleeping all day.
Now even as old as he is, he still has the presence of mind to prefer a warm body that isn’t going to be moving that much over one that is constantly getting up to do something, even is that something is pacing the hall.
In my house those warm bodies include my husband, who is constantly moving from one place to another. Finding him at any given time is an exercise is eliminating which seat he isn’t in at the moment. Even then, he is rarely still. So obviously, Ivan has no interest in snuggling with him.
My daughter, who is his first love, also does not sit still for long. She runs this household and spends much of her morning making sure our house is as clean as she can possibly maintain it at. And when she’s not cleaning or cooking, she could just as easily be pacing, either getting out energy or just thinking.
As for my son, he spends a lot of time in his room, I’m sure a good chunk of that is sleeping, but he’s just as prone to pacing as his sister is and changing where he is sitting as his dad is. And maybe Ivan has other reasons too, but he doesn’t spend much time with my son.
Then there’s me. I’m easy to find. I’m generally sitting right where I am right now. In my bed. Sometimes I’m on my tablet. Sometimes I’m reading a book or crocheting. Sometimes, like now, I’m on my laptop though what I’m doing on it varies.
I’m not writing anywhere near as often as I think about doing it. Most of the time when my laptop is out I’m watching something or dealing with bills and such. Anymore, I do most of my writing when I have to. Like when my post is due.
For all these reasons, Ivan has started spending his daylight hours sleeping next to me. Well, usually.
When he came in this morning, he seemed much more intent on curling up in my arms. So, about half this post was written with eight pounds of soft fur sleeping in my arms. He has decided to be next to me as usual now. Perhaps he finally figured out that my arms simply weren’t as still as my legs are. You know, since I kept moving them to type.
But at least his activity helped me to get my post written.
Smile. Make the day a brighter day.
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