Busy and hectic are two words that best describe the end of October into November for me. With planning next year’s book events and getting a new book ready for launch, it’s hard to believe that December is only in a matter of days! Yet, despite how fast this month flew by, the universe seemed to think I needed to learn a lesson…or rather remember an old one.
It was near the beginning of the month where I was beginning to feel the pressure of the upcoming holidays. I remember running around trying to attend to all the tasks I was to do when a co-worker asked me to come over and help him. He then said two words two me very emphatically… “Slow. Down.”
Naturally, I roll my eyes and shrug it off. Me? Slow down? Ha! That word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary; besides he’s not a supervisor! These thoughts raced through my head that day, but little did I know those two words foreshadowed the horror that was to come.
October 26, 2019 is the date that will forever go down in my writing history. The nightmare every author faces at least once in their lifetime—my laptop unexpectedly crashed with unsaved documents on the hard drive.
I thought that kind of thing only happened to film authors, but I was proven wrong. For over a week, I fought to keep my new laptop alive. Best Buy soon became my closest friend, but my little Lenovo Yoga eventually had enough of my prodding and pleading. During this time, I couldn’t do anything writing related and it was honestly painful. However, it gave me a good excuse to finish reading a book my editor recommended to me. I was always saying how I have little time for reading now that I’m working crazy hours. Well, the universe answered and in a very unexpected way.
With my laptop situation up in the air, I found myself reflecting back on that one coworker. It was as if he was standing next to me saying, “Slow. Down.” Not going to lie—I had chills upon this realization. Even in my writing life I was hurrying to meet deadlines (which I already knew I was going to meet). I had forgotten to enjoy the little things, like curling up with a good book.
I think this is a useful lesson to us all, though. Black Friday is around the corner and the holiday chaos will just get crazier until maybe mid-January. Let’s take a pause on our busy schedules, eternally long shopping lists, and party planning to make time for these little things.