Count 'Em Up

As I shared in a PREVIOUS post, I recently gave up my job and heeded the spirit's call to return to writing. Within 3 weeks of my last day of work, the following things happened:

My mother in law passed away December 29th. She'd been sick for a long time, but it was still something of a gut punch to lose her that morning.

That same weekend, the refrigerator stopped refrigerating.

A couple of days later, the computer crashed. No kidding. Dead. As. A. Doornail. All recovery methods have so far failed. My brother is sending me some things to hopefully help. I may have to send him the computer (which hasn't worked so well in the past). That was after I wrote an entire short story and added about 10 pages to my WIP. I was actually *doing it* people, and the computer just died.

The clothes dryer started making a horrible squeaking sound whenever it's operating.

The washing machine now only works on *one* setting, and it's only 2 yrs old. (my conviction there is that it's the low water pressure in this house/town. It's one of those awesome front loaders, but you can't use the large load settings, the hot or warm water settings, or even the small load setting anymore)

I learned how it feels to attend a funeral and a wedding on the same day.

My son broke his arm on his brother.

My daughter nearly broke her arm at school when a heavy metal lid fell on it, sandwiching the arm between the metal box and the lid.

(Yes, I have, in fact, wondered why my son broke his arm hyperextending it while trying to stop his brother from getting the ball in keepaway, and my daughter *didn't* break her arm after such trauma.)

One of my other sons got the flu.

There, I think you're all caught up on the last 2 and a half weeks. Why am I telling you all this? Am I trying to make you feel sorry for me?

Of course not.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that life happens when you're busy making other plans. And in Plan B (C, D, E, F, G....). I also KNOW without a doubt that the more things that pile up in my path--the more convincing it becomes that I'm on the right path in the first place.

Here's what I'm supposed to do: Get discouraged. Let these things bring me down. Want to quit, throw in the towel, respond to at least one of the two job offers I've had in the last month. Stop writing.

Ya, that would make someone down there really happy. The jerk.

Now, here's what I'm GOING to do: Keep writing. Even if it's slow progress, it's still progress. Read my scriptures. Love my kids. Spend time with my family. Trust in God, and in His plan for me.

It's not easy. And I'm definitely accepting support if you're offering.