As always.
My good friend Jenny would occasionally close her prayers with that phrase, and I always thought it was so elegant in addition to being true.
While I am not always aware of the reality of that insight, sometimes I am. Like now. The Boone Series is finished, and ending it was the right thing to do. It was created as a coming of age series, and continuing it would have been forcing things, or, in the words of a friend of mine, “Boone jumps the shark” would have been coming up very soon. (If you’re not familiar with the phrase “jumps the shark,” a quick Google search will explain). Likewise, given my assurances that six grandchildren is all we’re going to have, I’m finished with my collection of children’s books.
So what’s next? I have no idea, and I’m not complaining about that. From my experience in the work force, I know that I’m better at the creative process than I am at maintenance or supervision. I was, on my best day, average at those valuable and necessary parts of any project. I’m not sorry to let the two writing projects that I have enjoyed tremendously stand as finished. Any other writing I do in the near future will belong to neither of those endeavors. Maybe I could collaborate with my oldest grandchild on a book or two, or Alex and I could work together on a revised version of Journey, which we had talked about doing some several years back.
Music is definitely a possibility. I recently bought a James Jones hammer dulcimer that is a real beauty and has capabilities far beyond the one I’ve been playing for the last several years. Concentrating on writing has resulted in neglecting music, so maybe expanding my musical skills is where I will spend some time now.
My church, TVUUC, has a wide variety of programs in the areas of justice, equality, and reaching out to those in need. Any one of them would certainly benefit from an extra pair of hands.
With the passing of my parents, the family farm now belongs to me and my sister, and there’s a house on the property, built by my great-grandfather, that I lived in for a short time forty years ago. Reclaiming that along with the barn nearby and the meadow where it sits would be both pleasant and time-consuming. Right now it’s in pretty sad shape, and it would be fun to leapfrog it into the 21st century.
I’m not opposed to striking out in a completely new direction: learning a new language, taking up one of the visual arts, or something I haven’t thought of yet are all possibilities.
Looking at what I’ve written so far, it’s clear that I have a lot of choices. One of the advantages of being not so good at scheduling and planning is an increased flexibility and acceptance of whatever comes next. I’m looking forward to seeing how the days fill up.
Stay tuned; I know I will.