Priorities

I’ve thinking about priorities a lot lately, especially since my daughter’s birth (on leap day no less). She’s been super fussy today, and my wife is at work so I’m by myself. In fact, I’m writing this blog post in between chaotic moments.

At one time in my life, writing held a top priority. Ten years ago in 2014, I set up my publishing company for this exact purpose. I read everything I could my hands on. And then all the workshops and learning. At that point, I was single and had no children.

I could make fiction writing a high priority because, well, because I could.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve barely written two pages since Sasha was born.

I had a pretty decent streak of writing every day beginning in October of last year and ending the night before she was born. I wrote a page before going to work that night. I’d barely begun the shift before my wife called and told me she was going into labor.

At some point the next day, my wife told me to go home and write so I could keep the streak. I ignored her.

Because the top priority was suddenly changed. I can always start a new streak. The writing will be there when I’m ready to fully dive back into it. For now, I’ve got this little peanut to keep alive.

She’s cradled in my arms right now, after being inconsolable most of the morning. I’m writing this post on my phone.

Those two pages of story I’ve written lately? Also on my phone. I have a desk where my iPad and a keyboard are set up along with a comfy office chair. If I depended on being in my office to write, I’d barely sit down before being called back to mommy duty, especially on days like today when my wife is at work.

So I’ve stolen time here and there. A few minutes at the park. When she’s sleeping in the bassinet. After bottle time and she’s crashing from being milk drunk.

Writing is still a priority. It’s just slid down a few notches from where it was.

It will take me longer to write a novel one sentence at a time on my phone. But what does it matter? I can still finish a novel that way.

The first priority is my daughter; providing a roof over her head, feeding her, and ensuring she grows up to be the best person possible.

I’ll make time for writing fiction when I can. And as Sasha grows older, I’ll be able to give the writing more focus. Until then, one sentence at a time…