Detour

Okay, August is going to be a problem. I'll say that right now. A friend recently asked me how do other people manage to fit everything into their lives - writing, cooking, cleaning, exercising, kids etc etc. My profound response was sometimes our 'real' lives have to stop for our 'writing' lives. I use 'real' and 'writing' this way because until I make a living out of writing, it is still classified as a 'hobby' in my mind. And that's probably something else I should change... but I stray from my point.
I continued on to say: 'and sometimes our 'writing' lives have to be put on hold for our 'real' lives, especially when it comes to the health and well-being of our families. I'll feed my family take-aways all week and ignore clothes that have been on the line for days without feeling guilty, but sadly, life has taken an unexpected turn.
My loved father has a serious health issue at the moment, one which is not going to improve. This has caused considerable distress in the family, and I find, for the moment, all my energies and all my time is focussed on his well-being and the well-being of my mother, who is heroicly nursing him at home.
15 000 words for August is looking doubtful, but I can't turn away from my life, my 'real' life, at a time like this. Problems don't just disappear, we have to deal with them and somehow readjust our goals to fit the moment.
So, new goal for August. Stay sane, and help my mother stay sane. Tell my kids and husband each day how much I value them, and how they enrich and complete my life, just by being here. They are not responsible for my happiness, but they are an integral part of it. And writing will have to either wait or mould itself around my life as it is today, 8th August, 2008.