On Sabbatical!

My sabbatical from teaching at Marianopolis College began in May, when classes ended. But this week also feels like the start of my time off. That's because my friends at Marianopolis are back at school for meetings and classes begin this coming Monday.

I'm a little sorry to be away from the excitement, but mostly, I'm well... LUXURIATING... in having TIME for my writing. I thought that in today's blog entry, I'd reflect a little about time. When I was younger, I never worried about time (I thought it would never end, like the long long summers of childhood). But now that I'm 51, I understand better how quickly time passes. And I've come to understand too, that at least for me, time is as and perhaps even more important than money.

I want to try to make the most of my time off. I'm almost done the first draft of the manuscript I've been writing all summer -- and I have big ambitions for the next few months. I'm afraid to even tell you what those are (just in case I jinx myself!!).

I've mentioned here, too, that I'm working on a special writing project for younger readers. I spent yesterday afternoon on that and I was reminded how much I enjoy the creating phase. Some writers love re-writing, fine-tuning their work... but I love the white fire phase of the first draft.

And you know what else I've been doing with my time? Did I mention my private boxing lessons?!! And this week, I did something unusual for me -- I started reading a book for pure pleasure (usually I read for work). This one is called The Divorce Party, and it's written by Laura Dave. (My friend Viva recommended it. We tend to love the same books.) The young couple in the book have a special way of saying "I love you." Instead, they say, "I like you more than anyone." Which makes me wonder: who do I like more than anyone else? And who do you like more than anyone else?!!