Getaway

I took a little getaway recently. No kids, no hubby, just me. I attended a
writer’s convention, did some shopping, visited some relatives. It was such a
rare and momentous occasion for me that I decided to interrupt my scheduled
programming and blog about it.

The high points of the extended weekend:
I met a woman who reminded me of my late grandma. I wanted to hug her and take
her home with me, but that would have been weird for her. Someone told me I
would look good on film. I ignored the fact that she was trying to sell me
something and believed her. I learned a lot at my conference, which is good,
even though much of what I learned induced at least seven different anxiety
attacks.

I’m serious. Am I going to get sued for something I post in my
on-line endeavors? Did you know that THEY have developed a program that allows
THEM to tap into the supposedly private messaging on Facebook and Twitter? I’m
not paranoid, I just don’t know why THEY are out to get me. Am I really expected
to produce at least one book per year? Not to mention the vast amounts of
verbiage I’m supposed to be spewing out of every on-line orifice. Blogs,
Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads…there were more, but I was too busy breathing into
a paper bag to write them all down. I won’t get into all of the second-guessing
and doubts about my writing, needing a better understanding of the market, the
lurking critics. By day three, the introvert in me was on the verge of a
psychotic break.

Visiting with my relatives helped. I come from good stock. Shopping made me forget
my cares for a while. But the best cure for my anxiety, the best part about my trip
was coming home. I know how corny that sounds, but my three boys came running
out of their rooms squealing my name, arms outstretched, huge smiles, and could not
stop hugging me and telling me how much they loved me and missed me. I was gone for
three days.

So I've decided that I will continue to write and push myself out of my comfort zone by
trying to "build an on-line presence," as the experts advise, but I will do it at my own
pace, on my own terms, and never at the expense of my title as "the bestest mommy
anyone ever had." (Thank goodness for selective memory!)