Writing Slowly

This time of Covid, which is how I will always think of these days, has slowed everything down to the old days. The old days meaning a past I never lived until now. Part of me is very thankful for this time. I’ve been cooking every night, no going out to a restaurant or grabbing some fast food. To keep it interesting I’ve given myself a challenge to try two new recipes a week so that things don’t start tasting the same. Another challenge that my husband and I gave each other is to not let a single mouthful of food go wasted. We try and turn leftovers into a new dish and keep things as fresh tasting as we can. We are successful about 95% of the time. I can honestly say that I haven’t missed dining out as much as I thought I would but I have missed going to a good bar; one with good bar food and chatting and laughing and music and, yes, a good cold one! It’s the social aspect of things that I really miss.

A Change Of Pace
Another thing I’m thankful for during this time is the pace of a day. I’m not as frantic about what I need to accomplish. There are no hard and fast deadlines, well except this article deadline … lol … that I need to meet each day. However, just like the dinner challenge, I have given myself the challenge of writing a gratitude list of 5 things I’m grateful for each day and posting it to my facebook page. I started three days after the Covid shutdown thinking that I would write them for fourteen days and gulp, tomorrow will be day number 150 …One Hundred Fifty Days – I’ve been writing them. It’s hard to believe we have been in a pause mode for 153 or so days. So, the writer in me is being fed in this way. I try to be uplifting and share my journey with fans and friends and loved ones but the truth is, some days I’m unsure of what I’m doing. It’s this kind of honesty that really connects with all those journeying with me through these odd days. I feel as though we are all on a life raft together and we haven’t seen land yet.

Just Feels Slower
Songwriting is still all up in my head. I find that even that process is feeling slower. I’ll get an idea and sing it into my phone and just let it start rambling around in my imagination for a bit while I toil through our construction project. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you all that on top of Covid we were hit by a tornado the first week of May and lost our barns and trees and incurred a little damage to our home. We are trying to get things looking right again but it’s hard because there was so much damage in this area due to the previous BIG March tornado that there are no contractors available. We are piecing it together as I write songs in my head. I’m sure I look like I’m daydreaming all day and I suppose I am. When I finally make it back into the house to get my guitar it’s almost a fully written song. Who says you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? I am managing to write a song a week, which is really off my game. I used to write about three songs a week, sigh, but what’s the rush, right?

The news continues to reflect a different view than the view I see here on our wee farm and I’m so sorry for all the chaos and anger. I know there are folks hurting badly through this time and I pray everyday they find relief. I pray for the health of our people and I pray for this awful sickness to leave us and let us return to some kind of normal. Until then I will go on looking for the little golden nuggets during this time of Covid. I find them, I do! There is a beauty in this newfound stroll I’m walking and I am sure I will write about it always.