Finding the Story in the Chaos

It’s all a little … much

Dig deep.

Breathe.

Suck it up.

Get it done.

I’m done.

I’m done with it all. Well is dry. Battery is drained. Fridge is empty. Need a re-charge.

A good night’s sleep. The baby to sleep through the night. A spacious afternoon. A completely crossed-off to do list.

The swirl of smoke rising from a campfire, silver silhouette against trees black against a purple sky. The first stars coming out, punctuated by a swopping bat, ready to consume any bugs not driven away by the smoke. The twitters of birds singing goodnight to the afternoon and the eerie and surprisingly loud calls of the night bird.

The earth exhales the heat of the day, mixing moistly with the ripple of the river. The desert breathing dry air at my back, the river’s humidity at my face. The day’s sweat drying on my skin, slightly chilly, not enough for me to rise to find a pullover. Sand sticking to my ankle, bare feet dirty, boots taken off, socks discarded … pouring the cool grains of sand over my foot, the dust sticks in the fine hairs of my toes – the ones I can never seem to remember to shave.

Staring into the embers of the fire, imagining cities lit all in red, crimson, orange. Shower of sparks rising, sticky smore, warm, sweet honey whiskey. My bones settling into the bones of the riverbank. Nalgene bottle of cold, water tasting of pebbles and algae. Long grass whispering, I know the spiders are settling in for their evening hunts.

God, I love those spiders …

Deep breath. Tomorrow is a new day. More on the to-do list. Client projects that I’m excited to do and need to recharge my batteries so that I can do them well.

Love the baby. Poke food into his mouth. Sing nonsense songs. Change diapers. Nurse him – the only time he’ll let me cuddle him.

Emails to send. Calls to make.

Schedule the estimates to get the house painted, the roof fixed, gutters installed.

Breathe.

Remember Rule Four (Eat something, you’ll feel better!). Apply it.

Stories have power. They make us feel. Share the message, change people. Get inside people. I can TEACH how to do that. How to make a story your own. Refocus on the launch so I can share my love of stories with my authors.

More to do list. Juggle the projects. Some get done, some don’t. Try for progress on them all.

Breathe.

Pray the baby naps – it’s the only time I can work.

I love my work. I love my clients. I love stories.

When it all gets too much …

Imagine the curl of smoke from the campfire. The smell of the sunset. Sand beneath my palms. Say a prayer for the spiders – I know they’re waiting for me.

Kim Galloway
Find me!
Latest posts by Kim Galloway (see all)