Ask a busy person...

Cape Cod Weather Today: It started out sunny and beautiful... I took the dogs to the beach, rode my bike, mowed the lawn, reseeded the front... but the clouds rolled in at lunchtime, and now the sky is overcast and grey. The wind is cold, and speaks of potential storms, which don't bode well for the Cranberry Festival Fireworks we're supposed to attend....

Last night in an interview, John McCain tried to quote an old saying, "If you want to get something done, ask a busy person." He babbled on about busy people being busier and if you want to be busy you'll get something busy and busy is as busy does....

If you didn't already know the saying, you would have no idea what he was talking about.

I do, however, know that particular saying. I live by those words. I am a busy person.

With three kids, each going in at least two directions at once, I'm a busy mom. Soccer mom, band roadie, Brownie leader, you name we've tried it. I also have two dogs whom I seem to be the primary if not only caretaker for, as well as a husband who travels constantly if not more. So I'm the one who mows the lawn and takes care of the pool and gets the oil changed and rode my bicycle to the mechanic's shop this morning to pick up my husband's truck (after the brakes went out on me when I was taking his mother's couch to the dump...)

And I write. I recently received an offer for a contract on one of my completed novels. Hurray for me! "The contract should arrive in the next two weeks, but in the meantime, here are the style guidelines to fit your manuscript into as soon as possible..." and tomorrow was the first day of school for the kids.

But hey, they were off to school. And I finished formatting and sent the manuscript back again.

And then my mother called with a project for me, to update the family history that I'd put together eleven years ago (and two children ago) The reunion is the weekend after Columbus Day (when we'll be hosting friends for the weekend with their four children and Yellow Lab)

Of course I said yes. Why not?

But I've been working on a manuscript that plays off this family history as well - haven't done much over the summer, but was going to get back to it. So now my dilemma is: Do I try to rush and finish the manuscript to include in the history we hand out in four weeks at reunion? Do I include the first 50 pages which I've already completed, and summarize the rest in the preface?
Or do I leave it out entirely?


I'm having trouble focusing, but leaning toward handing out what I already have written.

I think I'm too busy to do a good job on creating right now.