I have a confession to make.
I was grumpy.
I was so excited about the opportunity to do a Word War. It's something I have never done before. But the idea of sitting down with a community of writers, pounding out material for your manuscript, and then sharing how far you got just sounded amazing.
And maybe it isn't amazing. I used to want to ride a school bus. And I wanted to ride it so bad that, when I finally got the chance, the smell of sweaty socks and stale kiddy perfume was sheer delight. But I'm sure that people who HAVE to ride the bus are not nearly as enamored with it.
But, be that as it may, when I realized that I actually got the chance to do a real, live Word War, I was ecstatic. The night of the War, I sat down and started typing. Ready, set, here we go!
And then my husband called.
And he needed to tell me about his day.
And I missed the rest of the Word War.
I was so disappointed. But the dutiful part of me knew I should set aside the Word War for the real life husband who loves me.
He could tell I was sad about something, though. And he wanted to know what it was. (Isn't that sensitive?). So I told him. And he told me that it didn't really sound like that much fun anyway, and I probably wasn't missing out. (Isn't that insensitive? Lol. He's a unique mix, my man is.) Which made me mad...and even more adamant that a Word War was truly the most amazing activity on the planet.
But I recovered. Or at least I thought I did. And when a second opportunity arose for a Word War, my heart leapt. I would get to do one after all! My husband was at work -- not due to get off until later. At last, the world would be set right, and I could experience the joys of a full Word War!
Imagine my surprise, as I sit down to start, when my phone rings. It is my wonderful husband. He got off work early today!!! And he wants to tell me all about it!!!
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Once again, that feeling of what-is-right rises up in me, and I close my computer down to talk to my wonderful man on his way home. I know that I could totally tell him at any moment that I'm busy and he would quickly let me go. He is considerate like that. But duty tells me that spending time with him is more important. And duty is right.
But I'm still struggling with the grumps.
1 Corinthians 13 tells me that I could give my body to be burned, but, if I don't have love, it doesn't do me any good. In other words, when I make this great sacrifice for the sake of my husband but it do it with a grumpy-I-hope-he-appreciates-what-I'm-giving-up-for-him attitude, then it really isn't helping him or me or my marriage or anything.
What I should have done is either to communicate effectively (aka, "hey, baby, can I call you back after this Word War?") or to change my attitude to one of gratitude, trusting that God will work out the Word Wars in the future.
Which is what I'm going to do now because, oh, the irony, he is calling as I write this post. Haha! Now's my chance to practice what I preach!
After all, reluctantly dutiful is not nearly as good as joyfully supporting. ;)
I'm not the only one who shares my life with interrupting beings. I want to hear about you, too. How do YOU love your parents, siblings, children, roommates, husband, pets, etc. when you are writing?
I was grumpy.
I was so excited about the opportunity to do a Word War. It's something I have never done before. But the idea of sitting down with a community of writers, pounding out material for your manuscript, and then sharing how far you got just sounded amazing.
And maybe it isn't amazing. I used to want to ride a school bus. And I wanted to ride it so bad that, when I finally got the chance, the smell of sweaty socks and stale kiddy perfume was sheer delight. But I'm sure that people who HAVE to ride the bus are not nearly as enamored with it.
But, be that as it may, when I realized that I actually got the chance to do a real, live Word War, I was ecstatic. The night of the War, I sat down and started typing. Ready, set, here we go!
And then my husband called.
And he needed to tell me about his day.
And I missed the rest of the Word War.
I was so disappointed. But the dutiful part of me knew I should set aside the Word War for the real life husband who loves me.
He could tell I was sad about something, though. And he wanted to know what it was. (Isn't that sensitive?). So I told him. And he told me that it didn't really sound like that much fun anyway, and I probably wasn't missing out. (Isn't that insensitive? Lol. He's a unique mix, my man is.) Which made me mad...and even more adamant that a Word War was truly the most amazing activity on the planet.
But I recovered. Or at least I thought I did. And when a second opportunity arose for a Word War, my heart leapt. I would get to do one after all! My husband was at work -- not due to get off until later. At last, the world would be set right, and I could experience the joys of a full Word War!
Imagine my surprise, as I sit down to start, when my phone rings. It is my wonderful husband. He got off work early today!!! And he wants to tell me all about it!!!
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Once again, that feeling of what-is-right rises up in me, and I close my computer down to talk to my wonderful man on his way home. I know that I could totally tell him at any moment that I'm busy and he would quickly let me go. He is considerate like that. But duty tells me that spending time with him is more important. And duty is right.
But I'm still struggling with the grumps.
1 Corinthians 13 tells me that I could give my body to be burned, but, if I don't have love, it doesn't do me any good. In other words, when I make this great sacrifice for the sake of my husband but it do it with a grumpy-I-hope-he-appreciates-what-I'm-giving-up-for-him attitude, then it really isn't helping him or me or my marriage or anything.
What I should have done is either to communicate effectively (aka, "hey, baby, can I call you back after this Word War?") or to change my attitude to one of gratitude, trusting that God will work out the Word Wars in the future.
Which is what I'm going to do now because, oh, the irony, he is calling as I write this post. Haha! Now's my chance to practice what I preach!
After all, reluctantly dutiful is not nearly as good as joyfully supporting. ;)
I'm not the only one who shares my life with interrupting beings. I want to hear about you, too. How do YOU love your parents, siblings, children, roommates, husband, pets, etc. when you are writing?
I come from a big family, so I get this. It happens to me all the time, I usually say yes to whatever they want me to do. It does irritate me a bit sometimes, because it can be hard to get anything done.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding! I'm impressed with your progress as a writer because it can be hard to immerse in your story when people interrupt. It's a great skill to have though, and it will serve you well the rest of your life.
DeleteI feel bad saying this because it isn't empathetic, but this post made me smile. Thanks for the glimpse of real-life. It's strangely refreshing. :)
ReplyDeleteEh, I admit it was a little bit funny, too. ;)
DeleteThank you for sharing in my real life. :D