Finishing

I am finished with the first editing of my new novel. At this point it is 91,229 words. That may change, of course, because I have to read it another four or five times before I call it ready to publish. However, I have to say, finishing, even to this point, feels good.

I remember being a student and rejoicing when finals were complete. Ah, the relief! When I was a teacher, I sighed happily when the last bell of the year rang, when the last essay was evaluated, and when the last grade was bubbled in on the computer. Handing my classroom keys to the school secretary at the close of the spring semester and heading for my car and home offered a sense of freedom . . . if only for a few weeks. (No, teachers do NOT get three months OFF!)

So, finishing isn’t half bad – the dishes are done and the kitchen cleaned; the laundry folded and put away; the pets fed; the garden planted; the weeds pulled. It feels nice to have those tasks behind, even though, of course, routine dictates that many mundane responsibilities will be repeated time and again. For that split second, though . . . they are over. Complete.

Certainly some endings are more negative, divorce and death, standing out in my mind. Yet, those occurrences are part of life. We learn to accept in time and carry on, hopefully a bit wiser and stronger for the wear.

The ended relationship surely gives way to new ones and a death may gift us with an avalanche of sweet memories and a greater appreciation for life around us. And the completed novel . . . well, it spurs the mind to wonder, “What’s next?”

In the end I have to say I appreciate people who live in a “get ‘er done” kind of world. I attribute positive qualities to them: focus, perseverance, drive, diligence, resolve. Grit and tenacity on the parts of many folks -- individuals who did not give up on a project, a job, a discovery, or a dream -- have made our lives quite comfortable these days. Think about it.

  (As for progress with the novel, I’ll keep you posted.)