Spooky Time!

Well, friends, it’s October 2024 … time to think about all things terrifying, like whether our country will still be standing by the end of the year. I voted early in Ohio. If you’re even a casual reader of this website, I’m sure it will come as no shock to you who I support in this year’s presidential race. And if you’re new around these parts, here are a few hints:

1. I stand for the candidate who is concerned with the future, not the one still crying about past perceived grievances.
2. I stand for the candidate who is trying to unify us, not the one trying to tear us apart.
3. I stand for the candidate who believes in preserving our democratic republic, not the one who has promised to be a dictator on day one and called for the termination of the US Constitution.
4. I stand for the candidate who believes in human decency and kindness, not the one dehumanizing immigrants and calling them animals.
5. I stand for the candidate who believes in the rule of law, not the one found guilty of rape, fraud, and multiple felonies, with more on the way.
6. I stand for the candidate who wants to be President of the United States, not the one just trying to escape jail time.

If you’re still scratching your head, I’ll spell it out bluntly for you: I 100% voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Why? Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy things like facts and truth and hope and preserving our country and the Constitution, all of which the other guy has shown a deep disdain for.

And that’s pretty much all I’m gonna say about politics. If results swing the other way when the ballots are all counted up, I might have to reconsider my status as a US citizen.

In reviewing photos and events over the last thirty days, I realize that I should have posted several updates for October and not just this one single entry. Here are some of the things we’ve done recently:

• Attended our oldest son’s graduation from Air Force Officer Training School in Alabama
• Hiked through Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
• Dropped our youngest son off at college in Ohio
• Went backpacking in Shawnee National Forest in Illinois
• Met one of my favorite authors, John Scalzi, at a book signing event in Columbus
• Thought about participating in this year’s Inktober, but didn’t gain much traction

Honestly, it’s been a rough year on me for writing. I just haven’t been able to. I’ve struggled to find good ideas to write about. I’ve struggled with motivation to write anything at all, really. There are lots of reasons. This seems to be a post all about lists, so here’s another:

1. The internal voice of my perfectionism tells me every idea I come up with isn’t good enough.
2. When I do try and write, the voice of my internal editor, who is best friends with my internal perfectionism (actually, I think they’re probably sleeping together) tells me it’s crap.
3. I am so demotivated by <gestures broadly to everything going on in the world> that I can’t even see how my one little contribution can possibly make any difference.
4. I feel overwhelmed. By work, by other people’s needs and priorities, by just the day-to-day grind, by everything going on. It’s hard to justify taking time to write when there are so many other things that need to be done.
5. I’m exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Makes it hard to write when you feel like you can’t even focus your attention. I mean, seriously, in the last thirty days, we’ve done a lot.

So I’ve taken a bit of time off the last several weeks to just breathe. Did a bit of meditation. Did a bit of introspection. Did a bit of thinking about what kind of writer I want to be and how far I want to take this … skill? hobby? talent? passion? Whatever this is.

This fall marks year number thirteen since I started this journey. Gosh, what a lucky number. No wonder weird things have been happening. I’ve tried to visualize where I want to be in another ten or thirteen years, and I’m mighty hopeful about what I see. I’m hoping I can improve my ability to generate fun new ideas to write about. I’m hoping I can enjoy the process of writing even more than I do now. I’m hoping I can have at least a few successes which, for me, include some publications in professional markets, possibly even a win in the Writers of the Future contest.

Whatever my future holds, I’m hoping it involves a win for democracy next month and a peaceful transfer of power to the new president this time around. “National Guardsmen, stand back and stand by!”

Peace out, friends. Hopefully we’re all still here for November’s update next month.