Amusing the Muse, part 2

Two innings up. Two innings down. The Miracle League baseball game at the JackHammers Ballpark this past weekend was short and sweet and just E's speed.

Didn't matter that getting ready for the game and driving there took as long or longer than it did to play it. Didn't matter than we should have been cutting the lawn, weeding the garden, shoveling out the basement, fill in the blank (we should have been doing it).

What mattered was E's chatter as she donned her Cardinals T-shirt and packed her pink mitt and ball before the game. What mattered was seeing her face after she met her new teammates then stepped onto the field with Jewel by her side, drove the ball into center field on the first swing, and took first base amidst hoots and hollers and cheers.

My muse was much more than amused. It was inspired and energized.

Morning Cup of Character Anyone?

Some people need their coffee to get through the day. I need my butt in chair time, aka writing.

Doesn't matter if all I manage to create is a page or a paragraph. If I time it right and E's well enough to stay in school that day, something amazing happens as I commune with my characters. They take center stage and the chatter from my ever-present to-do lists drop off my radar. So does the constant worry that the next call will be a summons from the school because E is sick again, a scenario that happens all too often.

I've learned the hard way that I can't predict when the next call will come. Nor can I completely shed the worry that the next illness will signal another hospital stay, or worse. However there are things I can control, like making it a number one priority to wake up early enough each day to enjoy a morning cup of character.

I live to write and write to live. The process feeds and sustains me. Deep inside the flow of story, nothing else matters. I am in the here and now, and anything is possible.

Amusing the Muse

Although butt in chair time will be hard to come by this weekend, I'll have plenty to keep my muse amused. Some of the events on our to-do list include:

1. Opening day for Miracle League--This is the awesome volunteer-run baseball league E tried out last Fall and begged to play in this Spring. The league gives children with special needs the chance to play baseball on a minor league field (the Joliet Jackhammers in our case) with cheering crowds, concessions and the Star Spangled Banner at every game.

2. Dog Day afternoon--E and her service dog Jewel will represent MidAmerica Service Dog Foundation this weekend at a regional Pet Expo and share her story with the crowds.

3. Major spring cleaning--S's room is the focus. We plan to ditch the carpeting and make the room over, adding a family room to the first floor. The plan is to finish the job before Memorial Day. Why? Essentially, we've been living on the first floor ever since E's aneurysm rupture left her unable to do stairs. With our oldest daughter L moving back in after graduation (and no job offers yet), we need the extra room.