The Day After Thanksgiving

Yes, I know, most self-respecting bloggers put up a post the night before or the morning of Thanksgiving and label it something obvious like "Thanksgiving Day".

Remember, though, I am the procrastinator, so I'm usually a day late! Hence, you will find this post a little different from the typical Thanksgiving Day greeting, although I hope it conveys an important message for writers and non-writers alike.

Yesterday at this time, I was so full I could hardly move. Today at the same time, I'm searching the house and wondering what to eat!

Thanksgiving is that time of year when we become overloaded with food, family, and fun. It's all wonderful at the time we are enjoying it, but the next day, we kind of breathe a sigh of relief that it's all over.

Kind of reminds me of a writers conference, where I get information thrown at me for hours, stay up half the night preparing for the next day, and totally immerse yourself in the magic of socialization with others who understand what I am talking about and how I think!

In the case of both, there is a valuable and lasting takeaway.

Thanksgiving should remind us of how much we have to be thankful for all year long, not just on November 25th, or whatever date the holiday happens to fall. We come together to celebrate our bounty once a year, but we easily fall into the routine of taking our blessings for granted as Thanksgiving recedes into the background of our busy lives.

We as writers can be like that. A thousand ideas for that best-selling novel and good intentions for prospective magazine submissions crowd our brains while we surround ourselves with the knowledge, expertise, and advice of mentors at a conference. We get home and we tuck that wisdom away and forget about it until time to attend the next "feast of information".

We need to strike a balance in our personal and our writing life. Enjoy the feast, but be thankful for the bounty and make use of the blessings all year round!

Thanks for reading my blog!