It Ain't Easy Growing Up...

 ..with forty trips around the sun, I've started seeing things clearly....

Life can feel so crazy sometimes, can't it? Last week was a fun and easy update to write; my writing sessions were amazing, the week with my youngest daughter was great, and things were looking up. The thing is, life can change so quickly, and our ability to adapt dictates how well those changes impact us.

Last month, my oldest daughter moved out for the first time, and she seems to be loving the new independence. My youngest daughter is loving the greater share of mom-time, and we're finding a new balance as a two-person household. Was it an easy change? Not always, but it's going well.

As for writing? It's one of the best parts of my life right now (updates are below), but it isn't always easy to balance even when it looks like it is. A lot of juggling goes into managing life as a writer, and while writing has been the number one career-related dream of my life, sometimes it can be a real challenge to fit it into the cracks created by my disabilities. Today, I'm battling a pretty severe state of exhaustion after too much sun and not enough sleep - but life goes on, and overall, it's pretty good.

Still, that's without counting the soul-deep discouragement I feel over the state of my country. For those who don't know, I live in the US, and while political unrest and division have been common topics here for longer than I'd care to admit, yesterday we saw our first confirmed attempt at a political assassination in years. The thing is, regardless of political affiliation or party lines, America is still a beautiful country full of incredible people who love this land...and it's hard to reconcile that with the kind of hatred that leads to vilifying and dehumanizing each other to the point where we feel no guilt or shame at wishing harm on other people. Watching former President Trump take a bullet on live TV is no more or less difficult than watching President Biden struggle for words as he works to carry the load of a difficult presidency - and watching the people around me celebrate these things is heartbreaking, even without counting women's rights, abortion debates, and the toxic hysteria that bubbles beneath the surface of even small things like concerts and sporting events. I'll be honest. Today's a struggle.

One thing I've learned is to take good advice where you find it, not just to hold for later, but to act on now. Today I shared a reel filled with my favorite self-care techniques - and this afternoon, I'm planning to use it. If you're struggling, check out the video, choose something from it, and give yourself the grace of time to rest.

Remember that internalizing the wins in our lives can make it easier to cope with the losses, muster motivation for trying again, and boost our hope for tomorrow, so with that in mind, here are my wins for the week:

It's getting harder and harder to wait for May's re-release of the second edition FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM, but I'm passing the time by writing my way through a long-awaited sequel!

STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM is the continuation of Christine's difficult story as she rebuilds her life after domestic abuse; I love getting to see her growth, even when it's challenging to navigate the delicate balance between being true to life with PTSD and the desire to move on. As mentioned above, chapter eleven is now complete (fully written and finished with the first rounds of proofreading and editing), which brings this project so far to a whopping 69,578 words!

I can't even tell you guys how proud and excited I am about this incredible story of resilience. I've laughed, cried, cheered...and I feel unspeakably honored to be able to share this story with readers when the time comes. I do still have to write that second half though, so I'm off to get some rest and then we'll be back at it tomorrow. In the meantime, despite everything you might be going through, please know that I'm here, cheering for you to:

*song lyric from "Healing," Cat Burns, Indie.Arie