For many of us, what we’re currently doing seems to go on and on. For the world itself, it seems to change by the hour. For me, it’s continuing business as usual as far as work, homeschooling and caring for house and home go, with the added anxiety of the state of the world, worry over my husband’s exposure (both Wood Sprite and I have chronic illnesses) and missing my family and friends. I know everyone is saying that whatever our response is, is okay, as these are unprecedented times, but my inability to concentrate and news addiction are exhausting. I’m tried all the time. How about you? I hope you’re okay and with people you love.
Some other things I’m currently doing…
loving all of Wood Sprite’s art. There is so much of it now! Every day there are new paintings, sculptures, puppets, etc. They’ve made a fairy lighthouse, a sword, a crown, repurposed the Hulk as Mr. Hyde, an Audrey II puppet and so much more. See the photos here for some of them!
listening to Marissa Meyers’ new podcast, The Happy Writer, as well as Brene Brown’s
adding cinnamon to my coffee for a delicious kick (and totally failing at the whole whipped coffee thing–twice!)
sharing more than usual on social media, which feels good and gross at the same time. I really prefer keeping things to myself lately but missing my family has me reaching for… something.
struggling to fast and sleep regularly
trying to really enjoy my writing… and failing
celebrating paying off some old bills
struggling to not touch my damn face. How about you?
reading ebooks on my Kindle app. Having a larger phone does have its perks, although I still miss having one that fit well into my pocket.
sniffing my perfume oils, eating keto treats and trying to stay positive for my family
trying to be helpful, in whatever small ways I can. So far that’s mostly been through making small donations here and there, sharing resources for others and continuing my usual political shenanigans, AKA calls/emails/tweets. I remind myself that I’m an artist and what I’m creating every day brings something to many people, and may even help ease their pain, even if I can’t see it.
helping my kiddo connect with friends and feeling my heart ache at how lonely they are
wearing my Outlander dress again and not wanting to change out of it. Why should I? I’ve been home for 20 days now.
wishing I could have used my camera to capture their big grins while connecting with friends in multiple classes yesterday (but they were using my phone to access Zoom!)
watching Lie to Me and Kiki’s Delivery Service
playing with my 2021 planner. My Uncalendar arrived yesterday and instead of cheering me up, as it normally does and as my husband had hoped it would, it only added to my anxiety at first. But by evening I had finished the cover.
chatting with friends and family who are bored. I’m so not bored. I love hearing from them but it’s hard to do my job so I try not to respond when I’m writing. It’s a hard habit to break, even after all these years, because I still have that “what if it’s an emergency!” mindset, especially these days! Like Joyce Carol Oates says, interruptions from other people are a writer’s worst enemy, and I’ve known this since I started writing as a child. To this day it’s still a battle. Speaking of her, Wood Sprite and I are thinking about taking Masterclass. Have any experience with it? They really want to take Natalie Portman and R.L. Stine’s classes while I’m wanting to take Oates’ and Gaiman’s.
What are you up to this week?
I’m currently…
Sara J. Schmidt 