Monday, February 18, 2013

Quiet Celebrations

Thanks to all the authors who joined in the Valentine’s fun! I loved reading about each author’s special Valentine memories and traditions. I hope you did, too.

I did miss quite a few days of it, unfortunately. Behind the blogging scene, it’s been quite a harrowing few weeks. I rushed my hubby to the ER with chest pains, and after a nightmarish, 29-hour stay there, the hospital finally admitted him and performed a heart cath. We went through this three and a half years ago, and this was almost a duplicate, except during this procedure, they put in two stents. Strangely, into the very same artery as last time, but again because it was more than 90 percent blocked. The good news is, he has never suffered a heart attack. Ironically, this prolongs the diagnosis because symptoms aren’t definitive. But now at least the record can show a pattern. Hopefully there won’t be a next time, though.

Needless to say, my focus was with him. We celebrated my birthday late and low-key, but my private celebration was simply having him back home, recovering. Valentine’s Day was likewise subdued.

Hubby’s heart surgery, like every passing birthday, brings into sharper relief what I need to do with the time left. I’m not old by modern standards, but I do feel the pressure of dwindling time. I felt it keenly after the deaths of my cousin and uncle early this year, but even moreso now. I want to use what time I have left in a way that’s most meaningful for me. Second to my family, that means writing. I have so much yet I want to do, so many stories already begun or sketchily outlined as well as those that only exist in a vague inkling in my head – all these, I need to finish. And then some.

Likewise, edits are coming in for my contracted stories. This weekend, I tackled first-round edits on Cursed, book one of The Vitruvian Man series. I'm very excited about these stories. The setting, the hero and heroine are different from any others I've read. Originally, I'd planned a stand-alone story, but this world kept calling to me. It may keep calling after I finish the second book. There's a lot to explore there.

Do you feel more pressured as you age to do everything you set out to do? Did you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day? More importantly, do you make time to celebrate the life moments that don’t appear on any calendar?