June 10: The Bounce, Summer Routines, Magic 8-Ball Monday

Summer begins in earnest today.  My daughter is done with her "official" dance classes for the year, and she officially switches into hot-weather mode.  That means sleeping in as late as possible and starting to complain about mid-afternoon that she's bored.

I always experience a definite bounce after dance recital weekend.  It's the same kind of bounce I'd feel when I was involved in theater (acting or directing).  After a show wrapped-up, at least for the first week or so, I'd be bored, sad, at a loss.  I couldn't remember how to fill my evenings.  I'd lose focus and motivation.  I'd wander around, thinking, "Where's my script?"

Perhaps my daughter doesn't experience the bounce to that degree, but she definitely gets a little off track for a couple of weeks.  Then she'll reestablish some kind of order for herself, centered around a new activity (say, private dance lessons).  I honestly believe human beings crave the kind of security that goes along with routine.  Routine is comforting, like vanilla ice cream or warm bread or the smell of cooking turkey.  We all try to avoid the unpleasant surprises of life (speeding tickets, broken arms, bed bugs at a hotel).  We like to have game plans for our lives, so to speak.

I'll give my daughter a week of being unmoored.  That will be enough time to catch up on sleep and friends.  Then I will start charting her course for the summer seas.  It will involve private dance lessons, that's for sure.  And Bible camp.  And maybe training for a two-mile fun walk/run.  I'll see how much else I can come up with.

Which leads me to my question for Magic 8-Ball Monday:

Will I get a book accepted for publication this summer?

OK, that really has nothing to do with my daughter's summer, but it's the question that's most on my mind at the moment.  And the answer from J. D. Salinger is:

I sat there on D.B.'s desk and read the whole notebook.  It didn't take me long, and I can read that kind of stuff, some kid's notebook.  Phoebe's or anybody's, all day and all night long.  Kid's notebooks kill me...

Well, there it is.  Simple and clear.  I'm going to get published.  Someone is going to get my manuscript and  it's going to "kill" him/her.  S/he's going to love my stuff, and (viola!) a new book by me!

Coming soon to Amazon:  The Chronicles of Saint Marty, or How to Survive as a Part-time Employee in a Full-time World.

That's something I think about a lot