Or: Why It’s Taking Me So Long to Finish Book 3
I know you’ve all been waiting patiently for an update on Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3). I was really hoping I’d have a completed manuscript (or, at least, a firm release date) to share with you this fall. But I’m just going to come right out and say it: I’m not even close.
That’s not to say I haven’t been working diligently toward that goal whenever I can – I have – or that I’m any less dedicated to getting the final installment of this trilogy into your hands as soon as possible – believe me, I’m as excited as you are! It’s just that, I’ve had to readjust my expectations for what “whenever I can” and “as soon as possible” means during this season of my life. And as a result, it’s looking like it’s going to be a while yet until Stuck is ready for public consumption.
As you may know, I’m the work-at-home parent in my family. And I know lots of awesome work-at-home parents who hire a regular babysitter or utilize daycare to give themselves more time to be productive (or just recuperate), and when I see them doing this, I say, “Right on! Good for you!” And I see how they benefit, and I see how their kids benefit, and I understand where they’re coming from when they encourage me to do the same. But the thing is, I’m just coming from a different place.
As a mother who’s had the singular and heartwrenching experience of burying my only child, I’m coming from the same place as my friend, Kelly, whose beautiful toddler son, Kevin, was tragically taken from her too soon by Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Kelly posted this heartfelt reminder to other parents on Facebook the other day as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month:
“I know I only had 2 1/2 years. I know 95% was spent on a roller coaster. I know that he’s not here now. I regret every break I took, every time I picked up my phone in front of him, and it wasn’t to take his picture. I regret every time I went to the sleep room and took a nap. I regret every time I went to the bathroom, and he couldn’t come with me. Some days it eats me alive. […] Forget cellphones on Saturdays! Forget cellphones as much as you can! Set alarms if you have to. Go out! Go play! Give them your TIME. It is all they will ever need or want and it won’t last for long. […] I just urge all of you to treasure EVERY second. […] Treasure the time.”
Of course, no one would ever begrudge Kelly – or any parent, especially one dealing with something as inconceivably stressful and horrific as childhood cancer – those naps and bathroom breaks and occasional zone-outs on the phone. That’s just survival.
But I felt the same way after my daughter, Alana, was stillborn. I regretted (regret) every moment that I spent doing anything other than soaking her in, and basking in the miracle of her pregnancy. I thought I had the rest of her life to really pay attention to her – I never realized just how short that life would be. And this is where my mind goes when I need to decide now where to spend my time.
And is devoting so much of myself to my child the “right” choice, or the healthiest or most sustainable, for either me or him? I’m the first to admit that it’s probably not. Any of my family or friends will readily tell you that Kiran and I suffer from a (mutual) separation anxiety which is hugely inconvenient to anyone and everyone who wants to spend time with either of us. Some days (luckily, usually only a couple days a month when my nerves are raw from hormones or lack of sleep or what have you), I am burnt out and not the mother I know I could be – and I second guess my choices then, and wish I made more time for myself, and I strongly consider hiring regular help (or depending even more heavily on my mom than I already do – thank you, Mom, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you!) so I can finally finish this book.
How can I bring myself to miss any of this, when I know so viscerally that it could be over at any moment? I just can’t.
And please, please, please, don’t mistake me – the last thing I want is to send anyone off on a guilt trip for making choices that are different than mine. Every family and every parent is different, and this is not a critique of anyone’s choices, or the completely valid reasons and experiences behind those choices. I’m also painfully aware of the enormous and glaring amount of privilege I’ve been blessed with to even be able to have choices in this arena.
So this is just me trying to explain where my head is at, and why I’m finding it so hard to find the time to actually write, as much as I find meaning and enjoyment for myself in doing that – and as much as I absolutely hate feeling like I’m letting anyone down or failing to accomplish something I set out to do. It’s just that, I know I can’t get any of this time back. And when it comes down to it, I’m just not willing to give it up.
So what that means for me – and for you, dear readers – in a real-world, practical sense, is that I pretty much only get to write when Kiran is napping. And he’s never been a big napper. And half the time he falls asleep while driving somewhere, and then that’s it for the day. And I wish I could just stay up late after he goes to bed or get up early in the morning to write before he wakes, but… I am tired, people! And just like my friend Kelly, and all parents, I need that time at the end of the day to watch some TV or zone out on my phone or just talk to my husband – regular people-stuff, you know? So basically, that doesn’t leave me with very much time to actually write.
The good news, though – for those of you waiting for Stuck – is that I have really been putting those few hours I get each week to good use. Truthfully, I have not made too much progress on Stuck itself just yet, but I have been working on a secret little get-myself-back-on-the-horse project, which involves a good amount of brand new content within the Stitch universe. :-D And I’m planning to release that soon (hopefully before the end of the year, though again don’t hold me to it, as you now understand that I am beholden to the fickle whims of a toddler’s erratic sleep schedule!).
So, that’s where I’m at. Trying to find the balance, and doing my best to love my life as it is, for as long as this season may last.
Thank you, as always, for sticking with me as I work to figure it all out. And may you also, always, treasure the time.
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