On Time

The trip to the grocery store always takes longer than planned, the writing of a book always requires days or weeks of meditation to get that next scene or plot twist just right, and getting a Kickstarter ready...let's just say, *sigh.*

I'm still working on the progress bar for my website. I've seen these things in a number of places. It shouldn't be so hard. But, for me, it is.

I'm still working on the video for the upcoming Kickstarter. I've dressed up three times, made three attempts, and after viewing each one I was finally happy with the last one. This was the one that was practically unscripted and my daughter and I bantered with one another while telling the story of how my writing career began. I think it's a good story, but maybe that's a subject for another day.

I'm waiting on a contract with my editor, Evan Braun, and my artist, Suzanne Helmigh, is waiting on the contract from me. I finished drawing it up, but wanted someone to review it. A friend said he would...and I'm still waiting.

I did all the bank forms required for the Kickstarter, but they have yet to tell me the bank account has been verified.

Thumbnail pictures should be finished today. Let's hope that comes in on time, but I wouldn't be surprised, or upset, if it takes another day.

See, that's just life. We can plan all we want, but there will be hitches. What matters is if we let them stop us from getting done what we need, or want, to get done. As long as we keep moving forward, we will eventually reach the end of the trail, the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we all have a time when we recognize that whatever we're waiting for will eventually arrive and then we'll be surprised that the moment has come, whether it be in anticipation or dread. In the case of bearing children, both.

I remember having that a-ha moment as a kid. I was jittery, excitedly awaiting the time for some performance or reward; I don't remember what it was, but I remember that bitter pang that I couldn't wait and it felt like the time would NEVER arrive. And then I remembered all the times I'd felt the same, but then the day had come and it really hadn't taken as long as I'd thought it would, and for all my anticipation, the moment was over too fast.  That was when I started learning a new word, pragmatism.  It does no good to worry and fret when that energy is much better used to plan and prepare. Time passes regardless of what we do with it. I'm still human, I still worry a fair amount, but I can usually put at least some of that worry aside and get the job done.

With that pragmatism in mind, I asked another friend to look at the artist contract. I emailed my wonderful editor about the contract we need to put together. I sent an inquiry to the Kickstarter people about the bank account verification, and I'm going to get back to work on the video.  Will the Kickstarter finish "on time" as I'd planned? Probably not. Instead of Oct. 1st, we're now looking at Oct. 4th. Doesn't matter. We will still move forward, we will still run the project for 28 days, and we will fund. Sometimes, "on time" is relative.