Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

I know I've been MIA. I have a good reason though. I've been working on a manuscript for a book that will be coming out next year. If you want more information on it, sign up for my newsletter. Scroll down my blog a bit and on the left, you'll see a blue box that reads Get News and Book Updates from Dawn. Fill in your email address and you'll get my newsletter.

On top of all the writing, I've just been crazy-busy. I've been so busy, in fact, that I've kinda shut down. When I get overwhelmed and I don't know where to start, I sometimes just kinda turn off, shut down, and do nothing. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with all you have to do day in and day out without any help and without enough hours in the day to accomplish everything? Do you ever lie down in bed at night and go over a mental list of everything you wanted to get done and didn't?

Lately, I feel like I'm swimming and swimming, stroke after stroke, swimming hard against the current. My muscles are sore, my lungs feel like they're on fire, and yet I keep going, thinking - just a few more strokes and I'll be there. I'm almost to shore. And then I look up and the shore is just as far away as it was when I started. Some days, it's hard finding the energy to keep fighting a losing battle.

I don't know where to even begin on all the work I have to do and instead of making me want to tackle everything, it makes me just want to sleep in the hopes that it'll all disappear when I wake up. In fact, I'd probably still be sleeping right now, if it wasn't for my friend, Eric. Last night, I mentioned to him that I was out of milk and hadn't even had time to stop at the store for more, and the most tragic part about it was that I couldn't have any coffee today because I can't drink it without cream or milk or something. Ew.

So, this morning, after I dragged my butt out of bed and I woke up my three youngest (the older three had already gotten ready and left for school), I trudged over to the couch where I lay back down under a mound of blankets. Ten more minutes, I thought to myself. I've got ten more minutes to lie here like a slug before I have to get up.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door. There stood my friend, Eric with a cup of Dunkin Donuts coconut coffee with cream and sugar (my absolute fave, just the way I like it) and three cups of hot chocolate for my little ones. How sweet was that? Not only is he an awesome, thoughtful friend, he's my Handy Manny. AND, he didn't even make fun of me when he saw me with my hair all Medusa-like, make-up smeared on my face because I was too tired to wash it off the night before, and ratty old pajamas. You can't beat that. Seriously, if he hadn't shown up, I was planning on driving the kids to school in my pajamas and coming back home to take a nap. He inspired me to get off my butt, shower, and do something productive. So, thanks Eric, for the coffee, for being such a great friend, for making me get off my butt and do something, and for not making fun of my lovely morning look, and my even more lovely, morning, pre-coffee attitude.

So yeah, there will always be those times when we have to continue to swim against the current and struggle to get to where we need to be, but now and then, just when we're sure we're going to drown, a friend with a speed boat will come along with a hug, some coffee (or a margarita) and a little, much-needed break and it will be just enough to make us want to jump back in and keep swimming.

Creative Commons picture from Wyscan's photostream