Right Here, Right Now

Here I am, up way too late, reading and reading and reading.  Then I realize- HEY- I had picked up the computer because I was wanted to WRITE a post.  Amazing how quickly one can get sidetracked in cyberspace.

Well, I am happy to report I am officially enjoying summer.  It takes me some time.  The transition is always difficult.  My ideal summer and my REAL summer need time to melt into one another.  The past few days there have been times when the ideal has become reality.  Actually, I think that probably happens more often than we realize.  Being aware of it is the trick.

On Sunday after several days of rain, Mark was determined to take the kids to the pool.  The gray clouds were sufficient warning this was not a good idea but he persisted and I helped the process along, dreaming of reading and writing alone.  I transported everyone and ran an errand.  Then I went back to the club to check on everyone.  Big mistake.  I should have run for cover.  Instead I found myself rained in at the club with the family.  As luck would have it everyone else took the hint (and a strong one I might add) from the menacing gray clouds and stayed away.  The Women's World Cup Final was on the big screen tv and we had the place almost to ourselves.  Lifeguards and workers alike joined the party.  One kind gentleman kept us supplied with freshly popped popcorn and pretzels.  The rain drenched the tennis courts and splattered against the wall of windows.  The kids were watching the soccer match, munching on snacks and playing with tennis balls.  It was an impromptu party and a cozy one at that.

No place else I would have rather been.  Right there, right then.

Last Thursday I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Patter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  We sat in line for hours and watched the parade of HP fans in their costumes while my daughter Anne read to us from The Idiots Guide to Harry Potter.  The excitement was palpable by the time they let us into the theater.  From the very first scene we were drawn in.  The two hours and fifteen minutes passed so quickly.  The movie was stunning and came to a satisfying conclusion.  In the theater packed with die hard fans...

No place else I would rather have been.  Right there, right then.

Today I took some of the kids to the pool.  It is stressful to me to watch Elise at the pool.  She can't swim yet but wants to be in on the action.  Finally, she gave me a break and decided to splash around in the baby pool.  I found a few discarded toys for her to play with.  It was getting a little too hot so I decided to sit on the edge and put my feet in.  Ahhhhh!  Now I could relax and enjoy myself.  Next thing I know, Elise and I are having a tea party then I am watering her while she pretends to be a flower.

No place else I would have rather been.  Right there, right then.

Now here I am in a comfy chair in my quiet living room.  All the children are asleep upstairs.  I am listening to Mark snore on the sofa across from me and there is the quiet hum of the air conditioning.  I should have been sleeping long before now but there is no place I would rather be.  Right here, right now.

If you look for those moments, you will find them right before your very eyes.  Here's to stealing a few more of them before the summer's end.

Dina

Lucky Me

I have been dreaming of writing for some time now.  Hesitantly, fearfully but dreaming none the less.  I have not been sure just what shape my dream would take and I certainly didn't commit to following it in any way.  To commit would require action which would require decision.  Decision?  Did I just mention the "D" word? 

If you have been with me on this blogging journey for some time you will remember the post where I couldn't decide on my hair color.  Small decisions are paralyzing.  Every time I am almost out of flavored coffee creamer, I approach the dairy aisle with high anxiety.  Recently, a friend described this heavenly liquid as "Christmas in a cup".  How perfect!  Of course, bringing Christmas into the picture only made things worse.  Christmas means peace, joy and love in just the perfect combination.  It means high expectations which lead to disappointment and disillusionment.  Now bring that expectation to the dairy aisle and  I am breaking out in a sweat.  Now Dina, you may think, are you seriously stopped in your tracks by this tiny insignificant decision?  I am embarrassed (however slightly) to admit it.  You would think I was marrying the darn creamer!

Big decisions are easy.  Move to England.  Sure!  Now what color suitcases to buy to go to England is another story.  You get the picture.  So my dreaming of writing is stalled by trivial decisions such as computer vs. notebook.  Do I write in a notebook by hand or tap away on the keys of the computer.  Certainly a big enough choice to derail any dream!  Well, the computer has been at my disposal all this time and hasn't spurred any great feats of writing so I decide to try the notebook.  You guessed it.  There I am in Office Depot deciding which color notebook to MARRY.  Ridiculous but true.

Enter fate, muses or the Holy Spirit (which I prefer to call it).  Over and over again, I am guided and shown glimpses of a possible writing life.  Lucky me for each of those guides and glimpses.

• Lucky me that my brother-in-law has a desire to write and is armed with a fabulous book to lend me on the subject.  Not to mention that he actually is willing to answer his cell phone when he sees me calling and knows he may be attacked by a bout of inspiration which I ramble about incessantly.
• Lucky me that I have a mom who loves reading and introduced me to the love of story at an early age.  Lucky me that we still share this love and recommend books and chat about character and plot.
• Lucky me that I met my alter ego online a few weeks ago.  She is a blogging, knitting, Harry Potter-reading, British-Royalty loving mother of five.  Blows the mind, doesn't it?  She came to New Orleans and we had a three hour coffee chat that felt like five minutes.  She has worked as a writer/editor and is willing to help me along this path.
• Lucky me that I have many friends like you, dear readers, that openly encourage me in my writing.
• Last and most importantly, lucky me to have a husband who understands.  When I explain that I want to write his answer is, okay so write.  When I protest that this will require hours of doing nothing else he responds, okay so write.  When I worry that all this may come to nothing he responds, that's okay.  Just write.  He gets it.  Not only will he not stand in my way, he will wholeheartedly support me.

So, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  I did decide on a notebook color.  It is the perfect shade of black that says, "Write damn it!".  On to steps two, three, four...

Dina