House painting, multiple appliances in need of repair, community events, pre-traveling errands, traveling, decompressing. It never even occurred to me that I needed to write a blog post until April 30. Oops!

Mid-May will mark 5 years since my husband and I embarked on what we call our “funemployment”—leaving our corporate jobs to pursue our own interests. Self-employment has been amazing once I learned how to be a kind boss to myself. I’m mostly there, but there are a few things I still have trouble with, like making sure I get vacation time equal to or exceeding what I got in the business world. If anything, I spend more hours doing actual work now than when I sat around in an office, waiting for an approval or email or whatever else was holding up the works on any given day. But, even though I work more, it never occurs to me to take a break—until I’m feeling run-down and full of dread each morning.

Oops, indeed. I need a little time off from book work, and I need to be better about scheduling it more frequently. Even though it’s work I want to be doing, it still puts a strain on my brain for which I need to compensate.

Writing Updates

I’m sitting at around 63K words/13 chapters drafted for Book 3. Considering that the average novel is around 80K, I’m really getting close to a point where I can wrap things up. Part of my goal for taking a break is to come back with fresh ideas and enthusiasm for drafting a good conclusion. I need to work with something that I’m excited about; that’s when it all falls into place. Whenever I feel any sort of reluctance toward drafting, I know I’m doing something wrong.

Current Goals

Well-rounded Latin practice. I’ve begun working on the last chapter of Wheelock’s Latin. It’s taken me 2 years, but I’ve almost finished my introductory course! It’s going to feel weird not having lessons to work on. I do have more review, exercises, and reading planned for myself. And of course, the speaking summit is coming up in July.

Being a good Stoic. Traveling is one of my emotionally weakest moments. I have a very hard time letting go of things outside my control (pretty much everything on the day of travel and after) after I’ve been spending days or weeks doing so much to prepare for every possible contingency. Part of me wants to keep doing something. Part of me worries and even grieves about what I’m leaving behind. All of this becomes even harder when you’re being assaulted by everything from severe allergic reactions to unseasonably cold tornado-force gales. I gotta remember that there’s no way to not feel stress, homesickness, and all those other things. They’re going to happen. I’m much better off accepting them as normal than telling myself I shouldn’t feel that way. It only prolongs the struggle.

Listening to German. I hit upon another fun way to practice: assigning German voices to some of our soldiers when my husband and I play X-COM 2!

Civic engagement. I helped some newly sworn-in citizens register to vote in April, and will be doing the same thing in May.

I hope everything has been going well for you. Remember to take a break if you need it! See you next month :)