Skip to main content

Are You in the Gradually?

 "Gradually then suddenly" This line from a poem written by my poet/philosopher nephew strikes a chord with me (Apparently some guy named Hemingway was the first to pen it. Although, I prefer to give the credit to my nephew).

Gradually then suddenly seems to be the way life happens. You wait for your dream-job. You long to find "the one." You can't wait to become a parent. The pining and preparation go on for years (just ask any medical student - or their spouse!). Then suddenly you get the call and can-you-start-next-week; or he finds your wallet and your life changes its trajectory (true story about my niece); or the adoption agency contacts you when you've all but given up hope.

Sometimes the gradually then suddenly isn't of our own choosing. Sometimes life propels us into a suddenly that we don't expect and may not want...or maybe we do. 

I've been a litlover since childhood (both reading it and writing it). I've done the work of
an editor and proofreader for twenty-ish years for employers. My husband says I'm sick. I get excited when the new edition of a grammar and punctuation manual comes out. I critique the bestsellers I read. I can't help myself. It helps me hone my skills, and I just think it's fun. I've long played with the idea of freelance editing/writing, but my husband is an associate pastor (not exactly a high-paying job). We need my guaranteed income. Freelancing has always been a pipe-dream. 

Until now.

Unbeknownst to me when I took my most recent position, this 8 to 5 guaranteed-income job requires a fair amount of talking. Some days it's a full eight hours. I recently learned that I have a specific type of asthma that is triggered by talking and once triggered, it goes on and on for six to eight weeks. I get three sick days a year. My guaranteed-income job is no longer that.

Suddenly I am propelled to find work that doesn't involve being around people (lest I talk). 

Suddenly my dream of freelance writing and editing isn't so much a dream as a necessity. 

Suddenly I am uncomfortable. REALLY uncomfortable. I'd hoped to be winding down my work-life about now, but that's not an option. I'm not a risk-taker, but here I am. I'm not a big social media fan, but current marketing wisdom says that's the way to go. Everything around this transition makes me squirm. Everything except the thought of doing what I love.

If you're in the gradually of life, hang on. Suddenly is coming. 


My grand daughter. She has nothing to do with this post. She's just cute. 😊

Comments

  1. cmsOctober 18, 2023 at 7:49 AM

    If I was able, I would have this entry published worldwide! You are describing how to live in the present, building your own beautiful future. Courage, perseverance, faith. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From The Very First Time

From the very first time I knew My love for you Would be a lasting love It is not a common affection My devotion to you Will span my lifetime It will not fail Your scent alone Lures me now As it lured me then I breathe deeply Of your sweet And tantalizing aroma Should I take in your fragrance Every moment of all my days yet to come I would not tire of it I run my fingers down the length Of your smooth dark loveliness There is no blemish No flaw in you I taste I cannot help myself I must My tongue lingers Could heaven be any sweeter? Oh yes From the very first time I knew Mon chocolat sucre Yes I knew My sweet chocolate My love for you will be a lasting love
3 comments
Read more

As A Child

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 Become like little children? Really? Children are definitely cute and innocent, but that pretty much covers the positive qualities. On the negative side, however, the list is quite a bit lengthier: demanding, dependent, self-centered, messy, often smelly, expensive, and embarrassingly honest. So why? WHY in the world would Jesus tell us to become like little children? WHY in the world would He want that? What was He thinking?! Well, He was a thirty-something year-old bachelor. Maybe He didn't really know what He was talking about when He said that. I mean, if we come to Him like little children, it's pretty much guaranteed to be messy. We're likely to be crabby, cranky. We might be downright angry. Prayer-ADD is hard to control on a good day. If we're not on top of it, if we don't have our list in front of us to focus our thoughts, we...
4 comments
Read more

The Hug That Said It All

I witnessed a hug the other day. Big deal, right? People see other people hug all the time. Yeah, but this was a hug that melted my heart. We attended a graduation party in honor of our nephew. It was held under a pavilion. There was quite a spread of food, and each table was loaded with decorations and favors (very nicely done, Ange!). Obviously a lot of work . . . a lot of love was poured into this party. As the evening wound down, many of us hung around to help clean up. That's the un-fun part of a party. The un-fun part of this party became even more un-fun when, in an attempt to dump a drum of trash into a plastic trash bag, wet, gooey, smelley garbage ended up on the concrete floor of the pavilion. It was rank and disgusting, but my sister-in-law (the afore mentioned "Ange.") cleaned up without complaint. When the graduate meandered by shortly thereafter, I jokingly told him, in a scolding voice, that he had better get down on his knees in gratitude for all his moth...
3 comments
Read more