It’s the Most Anxiety-producing Time of the Year

I’m When I was a kid, Fall was tough only because it was the start of school. After the first day, it got better. But now, it seems the entire season is a challenge. Is it for you, too?

To make things worse, I've decided to once again take on the masochistic journey called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This is a bad idea on so many levels!

• First and foremost, I can't let it get in the way of the release of Waiting on the Son, my newest, completed novel. This is not as simple as it sounds. Worth it, of course, but by no means easy. I'm also working on a new holiday short-story for you.

• November inches me closer to the end of the semester when I'm the most busy with grading and advising students.

• NaNoWriMo is during November, which of course makes Thanksgiving prep and celebrations quite challenging. It's not easy to write 1667 words a day, every day, when I'm also trying to bake bread, decorate cakes, and roast a turkey.

And yet, I love NaNoWriMo. I can commune and commiserate with my colleagues who are doing the same thing while simultaneously giving myself over to my creative energies. In fact, it's required.

I'm going to take the plunge. I have an idea burning in my head and heart which will be the first book in a new series. Now that I say it aloud, I'm getting excited to start. Yay, Nano!

Catch ya later. I need to make a plan.

When It Rains, It...Well, you know the rest

I’m wondering, if like me, things come to you in clumps. Long periods without too much going on then SLAM! You are up to your eyeballs in things to do. That’s where I am right now.

The biggest wallop was midterm grades. Yes, I generally know when they are due but I nearly always underestimate how much time I need to do them, and how much stress they cause me. Fortunately, they don’t make me as agitated as final grades but the reason is the same. I do not want to make a mistake. I want to give my students a fair and accurate accounting of their progress. For me, that means quadruple checking not only my tally, but the gradebook itself.

In the middle of my arduous midterm process, I was reminded that I agreed to do a workshop on culturally competent practices and motivational interviewing. Although the workshop isn’t until later this year, I am working with a partner and that means getting ready now (and not doing my usual job of procrastination).

And my picture window finally failed. Completely. It has been difficult to open and shut for a good while. It was framed in wood and about 70 years old. My partner and I had to clear out the living room to make space for the installers. That process showed us in the bright light of day how terrible our floors looked so we took on the additional task of waxing. We are only now finishing putting all the furniture back in place.

Wait, there’s more.

Because this is midterm time, it is also time for students to register for next semester’s classes. Today, I have meetings from 10am to 6pm. Tomorrow, it’s 8am to 5pm. When do I prep for next week’s classes, you ask? Good question.

I’m tired, but I’m not complaining. I know I’m fortunate to have a job I like that supports my writing and keeps my partner and me fed and clothed and sheltered. The truth of the matter is I’d be BORED out of my mind if I had any less to do.

Apparently, I like the pouring rain.

Risk or Treat

Halloween is becoming a cultural hornet’s nest and should be retired.

Yeah, I said it. But let me explain.

At this point, most people know the origins of Halloween. Briefly (and insofar as I understand) it originated with the ancient festival of Samhain. Celtic peoples believed that ghosts returned to earth on October 31. Folks would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward them off.

Over the years, it morphed into the celebration we have today. Children dress up as whatever they want, trick or treat for candy, and carve pumpkins (among other rituals). Adults do the same, except substitute parties for trick or treating.

Sounds great, right? But it isn’t.

Along with little ones excited to get a jack o’lantern filled with candy, the streets Halloween night are filled with teenagers and young adults, carrying pillow cases to collect treats. Many of all ages don’t even bother to dress up. My observation and experience is that it changes the tenor of the evening, and not for the better. Across the country, crime spikes on Halloween. Numerous sources have reported this, such as the NY Post and Eyewitness News. A quick google search of “Halloween violence” will give you pages of articles documenting shootings, property damage, robberies, and hate crimes. For these reasons, many parents are unwilling to allow their children to go trick or treating. Trunk or treating and other adaptations have emerged.

Trunk or treating is where adults are invited to decorate the trunks of their cars Halloween style. Kids walk from car to car collecting candy. Shopping malls have gotten in on it as (in my opinion) a marketing activity where kids, accompanied by parents, go from store to store collecting candy.

Don’t get me wrong. The IDEA of Halloween is wonderful. It is supposed to be exciting and visually entertaining. You can’t beat the vibrant colors and characters and, of course, the candy. And the movies. More importantly, I have many fond memories of taking my nieces and nephews out and then coming home to sort out candy, drinking hot chocolate. Oh, the giggles.

But would I take them out today? No. Not on a bet. This formerly meaningful night has deteriorated into a tense, crime riddled candy grab. Might there be an unintended and unfortunate lesson in taking that risk? Does the potential (but diminished) fun outweigh the risk?

I don’t think so. I also don’t think there would be momentum to discontinue Halloween unless something horrific happens. I hope it doesn’t. I hope everything I’ve said is wrong.

Be safe.