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By Joyce Jace
When asked whether he only wrote when inspired, a famous author told a journalism class, "Yes, I write only when inspired. And I make sure that I'm inspired every morning from 8 o'clock until 11 o'clock!"
--Mort Crim, "Second Thoughts" (adapted with only a partial quote listed here).
Let's look at this partial quote a little closer, and as writers and mothers, look at what Mr. Crim would like us to believe. Remember we’re parents, we work full-time and we're trying to break into the World Wide Web as writers and entrepreneurs so we can quit our jobs and become our own bosses.
I'm assuming Mr. Crim is inspired from 8:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night and, therefore, has that much free time to sit in front of his computer and write.
I can see him leisurely sitting back in his chair, gazing off into space, pondering and mulling. An idea pops into his head.... he frantically pounds on his keyboard for 30 minutes. He stops typing. He leans back and rereads his profound insights. He rereads them again. He smiles smugly to himself.
Not bad....not bad at all.
He leisurely sits back in his chair, again gazing off into space, pondering and mulling. He does this for two hours straight, looks at his watch and decides it's time for a morning coffee break and a snack.
That I should be so lucky!
See if this sounds more realistic. It's 6:05 in the morning. I stumble to the kitchen to make my coffee. My automatic coffee maker doesn’t work. My coffee was always ready and waiting for me, first thing in the morning.
What a luxury. It's broken now and I can't afford a new one so I have to wait for my water to boil in the kettle. I usually fill my kettle the night before with water. One less thing I have to think about in the morning.
I pour the water through my homemade coffee machine...a filter and basket over a carafe. I pour a cup. It tastes funny.
Why does this taste so funny?
Must be sour milk. Smell the milk. No...expired just 4 days ago, it should still be good.
Oh, for crying in a bucket!! This water is the hummingbird’s sugar water that I made last night. I hate sugar in my coffee.
Start over.
Finally, a cup of coffee. It's now 6:20. Carrying my coffee, I stumble to my computer and turn it on. No lights in the bedroom/office please....it's too early. I promise myself that I will not read all my emails before I do something that will possibly increase my income this month.
Too late...there are 113 emails. I really have to unsub from some of these support groups. I read every single one; what if one of them is for a query I sent? Can't take that chance!
It is now 8:05. Oh my gosh!!! The bus will be here in 15 minutes to take my 7-year-old son to school. Have to get him up, get him dressed, get him fed and out the door.
Cheerily, creeping into my son's room, "Come on honey. It's time to get up! Rise and shine."
I quickly run out of his room before the explosion that occurs every morning. It' s part of our morning ritual.
"MOM!! IF YOU STOP TELLING ME TO GET UP, I WILL!"
"But honey, if I don't keep telling you, you'll fall back asleep."
"NO I WON'T!"
And so, moms, you know the rest of this story. I won't bore you with my details. They're similar to yours.
Okay, he's finally up. I'm shoving hot oatmeal into his mouth. He has to have something in his stomach before I'll let him out the door. He's feeding himself too slow. I can do it faster!
Done!
Didn't brush his teeth! No time. Do it twice tonight. Checklist: back pack, lunch money, midmorning snack (2nd grade and his school says...parents, please send healthy snacks to school with your children). Yeah right. Bag of chips is one of the four food groups. I remember reading that some where.
Out the door, and safely on the bus. One quick kiss and I love you. He's only 7 and pretty soon he won't let me do that, so I make sure I get all my kisses now, while he's still young.
I run back into the house. I have to be at work by 9:00. It's 8:30. I have to brush my teeth! No time. I'll do it twice tonight.
And so writers, we don't have all the time in the world to achieve our goals. But we're creating something even more important: A precious child who is happy and healthy. You're doing a great job. Be gentle with yourself.
Mr. Crim didn’t have to worry about raising children when he says he’s inspired "every morning from 8 o’clock until 11 o’clock." Gimme a break here Mort. It just ain’t as easy as you make it sound.
Joyce Jace is a mental health professional who has worked with families and children for the past 15 years as a therapist. Joyce has transferred her therapeutic knowledge to the Web, works from home in her pajamas, and hopes to empower all parents with the skills and information necessary to raise emotionally healthy and happy kids. Humor is a must-have skill for any parent. You’re welcome to visit her on the Web at www.jmjace.com for additional parenting information.
Welcome to the place where you can finally get to work on your dream!
HowMuchJoy.com
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