Dog & Butterfly

So, it’s getting harder and harder to keep referring to this as a 365 project, since the whole point of 365 projects is to post something every day.

Every

single

day.

And here I’ve been letting a couple days go by in between posts with really no excuse other than the fact that I’ve been focusing so much on so many other things and at the end of the day, it’s easy to set aside my blog because it’s just sort of sitting here. There are no real deadlines, no accountability, no consequences if I slack a little.

Only, here’s the thing…I haven’t been slacking. Not really. I’ve actually been doing quite a bit of writing, focusing on projects that I’ve set aside for WAY too long.

I’ve been working on the memoir, just a little though, because that one is just way too heavy to completely immerse myself in. Instead, I’m finding that the best way to work on it is in bits and pieces, taking advantage of moments when inspiration strikes, and then being okay with walking away and working on other things for days or even weeks in between.

And in that in between, I’ve started a novel, a piece of fiction that has been marinating for years since the inspiration first found me in a dream.

I’m easing back into my writing life and it feels awesome. And I”m excited to see where it takes me, because when I look at my life and everything I’ve ever done (with the exception of marrying Stevie and having my two kids), there is nothing that has ever fulfilled me or fit me quite as comfortably as writing.

My family and my writing are the only things that have ever made me feel whole.

So, I’m jumping back in, continuing to chase the dream of finally seeing my name on that dust jacket. It’s my Dog & Butterfly–the one thing I will keep chasing and grasping and leaping for, because it’s the one thing I’m 100% certain I was put on this earth to do.

So I hope you’ll forgive me if, on occasion, I just don’t have enough words left in me at the end of the day to post here.

And in case you’re wondering…Dog & Butterfly is a song by my favorite band, Heart, a song Ann Wilson wrote when she looked out her music room window and saw her dog in the yard chasing a butterfly. It occurred to her that the chase was impossible, that the dog might never catch the butterfly, but she just kept going, kept trying, kept leaping higher and not giving up. It has always been one of my favorite songs because I know how it feels to face things that seem impossible and to keep going, keep fighting, keep trying, keep writing.

Keep writing.

Keep writing.