Here comes the future…
2012? It’s about to be 2012? How is that remotely possible?
Every year moves faster, doesn’t it? Decades seem to be flying by. My babies aren’t babies anymore. My new house is no longer new. It’s insane…
And yet, so what? Each year is different, wonderful in its way.
2011 was pretty great. Nothing hugely major happened. THAT was noteworthy. Nobody lost a job or started a new job. We didn’t move. Life became… normal. We ate tacos, made some new friends, fell in love with our neighborhood. You know, life?
And now, staring into 2012, I’m excited about… MORE OF THE SAME. Isn’t that funny? I’m excited to stay put, to settle down even more. No new schools, new jobs, new houses. Maybe we’ll fix up the kitchen. Maybe we’ll get the house a little more organized. Maybe we’ll do a better job of walking the dog when it rains. Maybe I’ll learn to bake bread. Maybe we’ll take a weekend trip to Chattanooga. Maybe we’ll ride bikes.
I have a week to settle into 2012, and the I have 2 months to finish my new book, Seven Stories Up, which is a companion to Bigger than a Bread Box. And then? Then I’m not sure what I’ll do…
I want to write more poems. I want to revise some of my old picture book manuscripts. I want to try a chapter book, about some kids who live in an actual city, and find magic there. Short chapters, simple language, carefully chosen. I think there will be a pet rat.
Or maybe it’s time to try YA. I have an idea for a book about a girl, and the bible…
Or maybe I’ll attempt a screenplay!
But I don’t know for sure… Which is exciting…
For years we’ve had so many factors of our lives “up in the air.” Schools and houses and jobs, and the looming question of maybe leaving Atlanta. The only stable thing, in some ways, has been my writing. The only thing I KNEW for sure. Now the opposite feels true. Life is stable, but I don’t know what I’ll write next.
Neat!
So here I go, into the future. Into the miraculous now!!! Where anything might happen…
How about you? What’s your future looking like today?
December 29th, 2011 at 10:16 am
I am so excited for 2012. I have a lot that will stay the same – house, job, kids. I will finish grad school in May, so ready. And I’m trying out some writing ideas that seem to be nagging at me. Super excited to read the companion to Bigger than a Breadbox! (and whatever else you decide to write.)
Katherine
December 29th, 2011 at 10:29 am
Happy 2012 to you, Laurel. I hope it’s as stable and satisfying as you’re expecting.