Yesterday, I was challenged to describe my perfect day,. and so, my friends, it is going to come in the form of a short story (I hope).
The Perfect Day
I wake shortly after the sun comes up with Dylan wrapped around my head, purring softly. Toby’s enormous bulk is sprawled across my stomach while he shoves his head into my hand, leaving no doubt as to what he requires. Loki sits on my chest, living up to her second name, Chatty Catty, as she tries to convince me she’s starving, despite the ever present feeder and her last can of wet food, less than 10 hours ago.
Meanwhile, Munchkin has plastered herself to my left leg, and Scooby, in true Tigger fashion is bouncing around on the bed, rocking his collar bell.
As I slowly reach consciousness, a smile crosses my face as I review the next chapter for my latest book which came together while I slept.
Wandering to the kitchen to feed the little darlings, I nearly trip over Patches who has jumped off the sofa and is doing her little stiff-legged dance to assure me that, she, too, is starving! Not to be outdone, I run the regular morning obstacle course as Hailey and Cinders, rat catchers extraordinaire, wind in and out of my legs as I make my way to the cabinet in the garage where the seemingly (to them anyway!) endless supply of wet food is stored.
After attending to the most important task of the day, I grab my first cup of the nectar of life, in all of it’s brown, beany glory, toss in some hazelnut creamer, grab a carton of yogurt and head for my office.
Going through my emails, I read through a couple of requests for short stories or magazine articles, update my agent on the progress of my latest book and send out reminders to some of my clients to get their work to me so I can do the necessary updates. I might also respond to a couple of inquiries from potential new clients, but the chapter is itching to come out, so I put business aside and open my manuscript file.
Now the fun begins!!! I release my tenuous hold on conscious thought and allow myself to return to a semi-dream state where the story continues to unfold. Fingers flying across the keys, I soon have the latest chapter recorded, and am well into the next when the phone buzzes.
My daughter, whose gluten free bakery and cafe opened six months ago, is doing her own Tigger imitation, nearly making the phone vibrate off the desk. She just received a phone call inviting her to be a contestant on “Cupcake Wars”, fulfilling one of her many dreams. Sharing her excitement (it would be impossible not to!), we discuss the timing, preparation and requirements and I assure her that I will make myself available to do anything she needs. As quickly as she was in my ear, she’s gone, to take care of customers, prepare for the lunch rush and start making lists of things she’ll need for “Cupcake Wars”.
Taking a few deep breaths and running a few waves of energy up and down my body, I settle back in to write for a couple more hours, finally calling a break after adding four new chapters to my manuscript.
As I have about three hours before I need to meet a possible new client for lunch, I change into workout clothes, grab a bottle of water and head for my workout room to do my regular 20 minutes of cardio and 80 minutes of weights, abs and stretching.
A couple of my clients have been growing so quickly that they will be needing a full time, in house bookkeeper soon, so after cleaning up from a very sweaty workout, I sit down to do some calculations and determine whether I need to add to my load, or focus more on the writing which, by this time, is starting to bring in more than its share of my monthly income.
Weighing the time needed to finish my book, the increasing number of requests for stories and articles and the time required to bring a new client or two up to speed, I am pleasantly surprised to find that, not only do I not need any new clients, I can afford to see another 3 or 4 move up to a full time bookkeeper!
Thinking back to where I was a year ago, I am still astounded at how quickly things came together once I started visualizing and being grateful for this wonderful, creative life I now have! Not only is my time my own, but my kitchen is finished, the remodel almost complete, adding nearly 2000 square feet to the house and the most amazing kitchen I’ve ever seen, but I am completely debt free!
Every morning, I jump out of bed, eager to meet the new day. My body is healthier than it’s ever been, thanks to daily workouts in my home gym (not to mention that evil personal trainer I see three times a week!), and my energy seems boundless! My cats are all healthy thanks, in no small part to the healing class I completed last year, and continued classes, workshops and retreats I attend to further hone my skills.
I completed and published my book about family suicides, and sales are unbelievable! I’ve submitted a work of fiction and am waiting for the edits, I’m working on a second one as well as another self-help book. My social life has expanded to encompass fellow writers, editors, publishers and other members of the writing community. My blog has grown to three, each covering its own topic. And still, I can’t type fast enough to keep up with the flow of ideas! (and that’s saying a lot, given my 130+ words a minute typing speed!)
I’ve even hired a couple of people to help with the accounting business which allowed me to shift gears and write in the first place! Best of all, I get to sit at my computer and write each and every day!!!
There are even mutterings about a speaking tour, though heaven only knows what I’d find to talk about!
Life is perfect and I can’t wait to see what each day brings!
My gratitudes are:
1. I am grateful to the people who saw the spark in me and encouraged me to fan the flames.
2. I am grateful, each and every day, for the continued flow of ideas.
3. I am grateful for the accounting skills and the flow of clients which allow me to follow my dreams.
4. I am grateful for my daughter’s amazing success as she, too, follows her dreams.
5. I am grateful for every single challenge I have faced, and will face, making me stronger, better and more resilient.
Love and light.
