What I’ve Done with my Summer Vacation

An Oddly Busy Summer Lull

July is nearly over, placing us at the midway point of summer, and I feel like I’ve barely embraced the season.  Sure, we’ve gone berry picking for both strawberries and blueberries, but not much else.  I’ve attended a literary festival in the park, a graduation party, and last night we went to an art gala held by a friend, but generally I’ve been cocooned at home.  I’ve even taken my three times a week gym visits down to once a week.  It doesn’t help that I need to bake in a recovery day (sometimes two or three) after every one of these outings, so that cuts into my time spent adventuring.

My writing has also slowed.  Several of my previously written pieces have been published in the past couple of months, and I couldn’t be happier.  Of course, each publication takes some back and forth with the editor, and that takes time.  But I haven’t written anything new.  Except for one essay for a contest, and I got that rejection last night.  It’s a bummer, but now I have an essay I can shop around.  My writing rarely finds a home on the first try, but that doesn’t bother me.  I did dog rescue for several years, and I learned it takes a while to find the right fit, the perfect home. 

I did take one paid writing assignment, a short article about grocery shopping and saving money.  It paid enough to cover the shopping trip I documented.  When it’s published, I will share a link here.  I don’t think of it as a literary feat, but more of a (small) paycheck and a byline. 

A small selection from the bounty of our garden.

What I should have been doing all this month, and I stare at the sticky note every day, is write the query letter for my memoir.  I don’t understand the procrastination.  Maybe I fear it will all feel too real once I send my queries out into the real world.  As if writing wasn’t hard enough by itself.  I must unravel the wrinkly knot of my brain to figure out why I can’t get out of my own way.

A few of the lovely flowers my husband has grown in our backyard.

But today is a beautiful day, and all the flowers my husband planted have painted our backyard in brilliant colors.  Our cucumbers and zucchini are threatening to escape their enclosure and conquer the rest of the garden.  Birds are chirping in joyful anticipation of the moment I decide to get up off my behind and finally feed them. The tea in my mug is hot, and Bruce Wayne, our Jack Russel terrier mix, is running amok in the hostas in search of invisible prey while a squirrel chatters at him from the safety of a tree.  Gidget McFidget, my little old lady, is snoring in her dog bed beside me.  Perhaps this is the essence of enjoying summer.  Quiet, peaceful, slow moments in the sunshine. Maybe I will start that query letter today.

Gidget McFidget in my lap and Bruce Wayne peeking over my shoulder during a car ride.

Wishing you a lovely second half of your summer. 

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