It is my last day of this year’s book-signing tour. Once I finish at the next bookstore in the afternoon, I will make the five and a half hour drive to return home. I don’t care for driving in the dark, but the payoff of being able to sleep in my own bed beside my wife of 48 years more than makes up for it. Perhaps it is simply getting older and becoming seventy, buy I am finding that I have less desire and energy to make these book-signing tours. From the evidence presented to me in my records, I am selling less books this year, for the most part due to appearing less in bookstores.
The weather has not been the greatest during these past twelve days away. Opportunities to wander outdoors in the sunshine have been rare. I did get out yesterday evening for a pleasant walk in sunshine through city streets here in Calgary. It made all the difference in the world as far as my mood was concerned. This morning, the overcast skies have returned.
On Sunday mornings, especially darker Sunday mornings, most people take the opportunity to grab extra hours of sleep if they can. When I went out there were no passing cars heard, no voices of children, no one putting out the trash. It was all silence. It was also chilly which encouraged me to return to the warmth of the house and have my first cup of coffee before settling down to do some writing.
That’s one of the things I miss the most while doing these tours – sitting down to write. My works-in-progress have me missing in action. This will be changing beginning tomorrow when I don’t have anything to do or places to go to distract me.
When do you find your private time for thinking and being honest with yourself?