Too Many Things
It was six pm when I declared that I was putting my foot down and today was not allowed to have any more things in it. There have been at least two things per hour since then. Last week I sat down with one of my good friends and she listened while I talked for hours about all of the stuff going on in my life. She agreed that I really do have a lot going on. I was happier after the conversation. It was good. The trouble is that I’ve had that same conversation with her before. The “stuff going on” was different, but not the overload. For all my efforts to turn things down, slow things down, and simplify my life, I utterly fail at it. My life is not simple. I don’t know if it ever will be, because I refuse to abandon the relationships that make it complicated.
This evening was rearranged twice, once by Gleek who needed an hour to talk through a conflict, the second time when Patch’s teacher called with some legitimate concerns about his well being. It turns out that Patch has been carrying a knot of grief about the ever-changing nature of life. He does not want Kiki to go away to college. I don’t have any comfort to give, because all the rewards from that decision go to Kiki, not to Patch. All I could do was help him draw the grief to the surface where he could see the shape of it. I don’t know if that will help. I hope it will. I’m sure we have more talking to do.
I’ve arrived here, with all the kids in bed, and I’m staring at my calendar trying to find things I can eliminate without causing a major problem. There isn’t much. The next two weeks will see the final rush of preparation for sending The Body Politic off to print. We’ll schedule Link’s classes for next year. We’ll attend a college orientation for Kiki. Gleek has a maturation assembly. Kiki has a fitting for a prom dress (we’re getting a fantastic dress on loan, but it has to be altered.) There are convention preparations to make for Phoenix ComicCon. Link has been waiting for me to find time to drive him over to Kids on the Move so he can inquire about Eagle Scout projects. And the Kickstarter will close. Then it will be our turn to fulfill all those promises we’ve made.
People keep asking if we’re excited about the over funding of Howard’s challenge coin Kickstarter. Yes we are. We are thrilled to get to make all those coins. We’re looking forward to holding them in our hands and the reactions of others when they also get to hold them. We’re also scared. Every dollar is a responsibility. I can feel the weight of it, not just that we need to fill the pledges, but there is also a moral weight to use any profit we make in a way that will benefit Schlock fans. This money and enthusiasm is a gift to us and we must be wise stewards over that gift.
And now it is late. The things of tomorrow will be better if I get more sleep before I arrive at them.