Weaning myself from the office

I'm still posting pictures from the weekend--on the top is the whole crew (though you can't quite see all of them). Do you wonder I'm tired with that bunch around? Below are Jamie and Dylan, our guest of honor for the weekend. My kids and their California sister don't see each other often, and they are always glad to be together. I'm still savoring the memories.

But today it has hit me that it's really time to sever my ties to TCU Press. I'd been most content working about ten hours a week, which meant several trips to the office. But there's a new director coming in, who is taking over acquisitions (my main responsibility) and for me to remain around would be intrusive. It was nice to be gradually separated from the press--going from 3/4 time to the ten hours or so a week. But now that's over. So I woke up, quite cheerfully, this morning, thinking this is the first day of the rest of my life. I've worked at home all day, no social contact, which is something I will fix. I know I need contact with the world to remain sane. But today has been a good day. The morning melted away with phone calls, emails, riding my bike, cleaning up this and that from the weekend. After lunch I began reading a manuscript--yes, it's for the press, but I'm doing it as a favor to the author, whom I like a lot. I'm reading edits before she turns it back in and making some minor corrections and a few smaller ones. Tomorrow, I'll go back over it again.

Tonight in my favorite distraction--I cooked. Made tuna cakes and boiled an ear of corn. A truly good meal. And I started a mystery. But I think I'll do a bit on my own mystery. My horoscope read that I would accomplish a lot this week if I would stay holed up, and I know the self-discipline of working on the manuscript without distraction is what I need.

Oh, I'll still go out--I have lunch plans Thursday and Friday, will probably meet with the incoming director Wed. to go over the acquisitions list, meet with the author of this manuscript on Thursday, and I teach my class Thursday night. But it's a different feeling--and I'm proud of myself for the attitude I have going in.

I read a blog today about the Law of Attraction--no, it doesn't have anything to do with love and sex. It's about how we attract to ourselves the things we want--or the things we don't. It's about the way we think--I for instance should not concentrate on the fact that I don't have a published mystery but instead the fact that I will one day be published as a mystery writer. People with money troubles shouldn't focus on their troubles but think about handling money wisely so they don't repeat old patterns. It's the kind of stuff I believe in, though it takes a different slant--some of the ways I thought were positive thinking apparently really were not. There are even LOA-trained counselors. Nice idea. Look it up on Google.