Friday, October 28, 2011

Road Block!


You may have noticed I haven't updated for a while.
I have been traveling - I surprised my niece in Canada by arriving for her baby shower! This is the first baby for my husband's side of the family so we're all pretty excited. I spent some good quality time with my daughter this week, as well as some time with family and friends. It was a great trip.
Ha. I laugh because 'trip' is exactly what I did. On Monday afternoon. I lost my footing on the staircase going down to the laundry room (YES, I was being NICE and doing my daughter's laundry for her!!), I knew there wasn't going to be much I could do about it once I felt my foot go, and I came down with a crash and then bump, bump, bumped my way to the bottom of the stairs. Suffice to say I am literally black and blue in places where the sun don't shine.
Which wouldn't be so bad if I could spend all day laying down on my side.
I might actually survive the pain if I wasn't sitting on it every day. I don't think I realized how much sitting I actually do until just this week.
Two and a half hours in a plane seat coming back to Bermuda today was not my idea of a good time.

This my friends, is a road block.

I am a writer. I sit. I write. It's what I do.
And I can't really sit right now. My lovely ergonomic chair in my study is not so lovely. At the moment I am perched on the edge of the bench in the kitchen, using my laptop, which is a rather petulant child and throws fits during most inconvenient times, like when I'm trying to save a document, or post a blog.
I HAVE THINGS TO DO!!! I have a blog tour coming up in a week! I have emails to send! Not to mention books to write! Holy cow, seriously???

So it could have been worse. I could have broken a foot (doable), or a wrist, (doable if it's the left I guess), but no, I go and break my --- oh, yeah, you can laugh. I'd be laughing too if it didn't hurt so much.
Tylenol with codeine anyone?

Putting it all in perspective, everything happens for a reason, right?
So what am I being taught here? Why the enforced time out at this particular point in what I deem a rather busy season?
I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I check the sales numbers of Yesterday's Tomorrow on Amazon daily and need to reach for a paper bag each time I do.
I wonder if it has something to do with the way I wake up at night, comparing myself to other authors and lamenting the pretty obvious fact that my book just is not selling the way I wanted it to despite all the great reviews.
I wonder if it's the fact that I waste hours of time pondering the what ifs instead of just getting on with the things I can control.

I wonder if perhaps God is trying to send me a message.
I'm pretty sure He is. The question is, will I listen?

What about you? Have you experienced any roadblocks lately?

FOR THE WEEKEND:
Tomorrow I will be chatting with Kristen Lamb over at The WordServe Water Cooler Kristen is a bestselling author of two great books that every writer needs to get their hands on - Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer, and We Are Not Alone, The Writer's Guide To Social Media. Be sure to check out what she has to say!
And if you haven't already, stop by my new blog This Is A Blog About Books. You'll find a growing list of book reviewers there as well as a list of new releases.

Have A Good One!

5 comments:

Richard Mabry said...

Cathy, I feel your pain--well, sort of. I developed severe back pain before the ACFW meeting, went anyway because I knew what was coming, and sure enough, after the meeting an MRI confirmed a herniated disc. No response to medical management, so I had surgery a week ago.
I'm doing well, but it's been pretty much a lost 2 months for me. I couldn't write--couldn't even concentrate--but I was able to plan out some plot points and do a bit of online marketing.
I have to keep reminding myself that God is sovereign, and it's all going to be all right. As Allen Arnold said at the ACFW meeting, "In the end, everything will be okay. If it's not okay, it's not the end."
Hang in there, friend. (And stop checking the Amazon rankings--they don't mean that much).

Catherine West said...

Thanks RIchard! Sorry to hear about your back troubles. Dealing with pain is not fun! Thankfully my little mishap wasn't worse! I'm learning to look for the positive in all things, even when it seems as bleak as all get out. God is ALWAYS working! I'm a slow learner, but eventually I do catch on! :0)

Anne Lang Bundy said...

Oh Cathy! I'm so sorry to hear about all this. And I won't pretend to understand God's timing, which we can only BEGIN to understand way after the fact. But I'm with Richard. God is still on the throne. He has a plan.

As for those roadblocks ... I've told my kids many a time that you can choose to see a challenge as a stumbling block or a stepping stone. I'm praying for you right this minute that God will help you see the opportunity in this particular BLOCK—that you'll figure out which way to place it in your life so that it's a nice solid step. ♥

Kara said...

Ouch, I am so sorry about your fall. I hope it will heal quickly!
I wanted to tell you I bought your book a few months ago and because I was in the middle of a move etc. I just started reading it. I love it! I'm having a hard time putting it down! It's really a wonderful book. Just wanted to tell you that:)

Catherine West said...

HI Kara,
Thanks so much for letting me know you're enjoying Yesterday's Tomorrow! You made my day!