Today was a very long day. My daughter, who just started playing Varsity Golf this year, had a match after school and was out until about 9:30. She had spent all day at school, carrying around her 75 pound book bag because they don’t have lockers this year, and then had to change and hop in the van to go to Dayton for golf. By the time I picked her up, she was whooped. She hadn’t taken the time to eat because she was trying to get homework done on the way to the match. She had only a small snack before taking on three hours of exertion. She really must love it. Last year at this time, she would have been home with me watching tv while I worked on one of the many projects I always have going. She used to come home from school and eat a sandwich before taking a nap and then getting up to tackle whatever homework she had. That just goes to show that we really do make time for the things we love and enjoy.
I know that there are days when I’m so deep into the work I’m doing on formatting books or writing blog posts or preparing reports that I forget to take a break and eat a meal. If I didn’t purposely set aside the time in the morning to exercise, I would most likely work right through it and not think twice. I actually enjoy working. I like to start a project and see it through to completion. I like to see how all the pieces fall into place when it all looked like a big mess of nothing at the beginning. And if it ends up being something that helps people when I’m finished, I like it that much more. Something about accomplishing things or completing a task really motivates me. I just like to get things done. I have always joked that I would love a house filled with white boards so that I could write down every little thing that I’m working on and cross it off when I’m done. What can I say, I’m a nerd. Always have been, always will be.
This year, my publishing company has published 20 books so far. Last year by this time, we had published about twelve. We have added at least ten new authors and two illustrators to our “family.” We’ve also added audio books to our list of offerings. And we’ve doubled the number of events we’ve held. Things have been going great, but with that comes a whole lot of work. Other than the time I spend with my daughter, I’m at my happiest when I’m working on these projects and letting authors know that their book is now available for everyone to see. It’s good for the soul. It gives me a sense of purpose and reason to keep pushing. But this growth, like any growth, has not been without its challenges, and I’m sure that as it continues, I’ll face more obstacles and run into more brick walls. But the fun comes from finding ways around those obstacles and being able to say from the other side, “Look what we were able to do!”
It has taken a whole lot of prayer and pleading with God to show me what’s next just to get here. I can’t imagine what else He has in store for us. At the beginning of each year, I always choose a word for my theme. This is the word that I choose to focus on in prayer and in all of my decisions going forward. My word for this year is “Growth.” And it has definitely been the theme for both myself and my daughter. As she learns to push through the exhaustion, pain, and sometimes fear of allowing herself to become part of something, I’m also learning. I’m learning that there’s no easy way to break through the barriers you have created for yourself. So, with great effort and sometimes a whole lot more faith than ability, you just have to plow through and get it done.
47 Days of Self-Care is a blogging project that is being published between three different blogs owned by Author & Publisher, Rebecca Benston. Over these 47 days, she hopes to share thoughts and resources for better self-care. You can view related posts at Higher Ground for Life, at the Leading the Follower blog, and on the Higher Ground Books & Media blog.