Holiday break

It’s holiday time! The tree is up, the fireplaces are lit and the kids are home from school for the next two weeks.

Most years, I find myself desperate for a break by the time the holidays arrive. Between work and motherhood, I run myself ragged through December so that I limp towards Christmas Eve like a marathoner approaching her last mile.

This year feels different.

For the first time in my life, I’m spending the majority of my time writing. I’m making steady progress through this draft of my novel, following the outline I put together this fall. I have been (mostly) keeping up with my goal of writing 1000 words everyday and I’ve already got 17 000 words written on this draft. I feel a deep satisfaction to be moving forward and building momentum on this book.

So I guess it’s not surprising that I feel a little ambivalent about the holidays this year.

It’s time to stop writing for a few weeks, time to take a break and spend time with my family. We have lots to celebrate: Christmas, Chanukah, Charlotte’s 13th birthday, a new year and then Eric’s 40th birthday in early January. All of this in our beautiful new house!

I may sneak in some writing sessions over the break, but I do want to let myself slow down. I recognize how lucky I am to have this holiday with my family and I’d like to enjoy it!

To everyone out there in Internet-land, happy holidays. May we all find and appreciate health, peace, joy and love in our lives, now and in the days and years to come.