Tidying Up

Some days the work seems futile. All my words and pictures—what do they amount to? The lawn is mowed, but I’ll need to mow again in less than a week. The house is clean, but soon the kids will be home to destroy it. And what am I doing to benefit the world beyond my household? It’s a question I should ask more often.

The long, hot days of summer are ahead. I’ll keep mowing the lawn, even when I don’t want to. I’ll have the kids help clean the house, occasionally. And first thing every morning, I’ll make a pot of coffee and go out on the porch to write. I’ll watch the words pile up like sand, making a small heap at first, then a dune, then a desert.

Maybe all these words will one day make a novel. Maybe you’ll read it someday. Maybe, in a small way, it will change the world for the better.

Amid the storms and heat of summer, the work is my oasis. I’ll keep writing.