Writer’s Rant
I’ve Been Really Really Busy
January 19, 2026
“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” (J.M.Barrie)
Guilty as charged. Writing blogs, while full-filling, has turned into a lot of work the past few months and I have been busy elsewhere. It hasn’t been any one specific thing that I chose to do instead of writing. It’s just that writing can be very time-consuming and I have a lot going on.
Several friends of mine admonished me recently for having too much going on. I admit, yes I am busy, even after “retiring”; I’m busier now than I have ever been. I don’t have any day of the week that doesn’t have at least one or two things on my calendar. And that doesn’t include or allow for writing time. I need a span of at least 2 to 3 hours if I am going to sit down and write and actually accomplish something.
The one friend was a bit unsympathetic, when he added that it was “My choice; my fault. It didn’t have to be like this.” But I disagree. Yes, I choose to be busy, everyday. I get bored easily and although I am an introvert and not a social person, interaction with others is a distraction from what may ail me. It’s confession time. I don’t have (anymore) a spouse or life partner to share my thoughts, joys and concerns. So I do find it necessary, for my own mental health, to stay busy.
The pandemic affected me differently than it did most people. Yes, it was terrible that so many people got sick and died, forcing us to isolate ourselves from the world. But on the positive side, it forced me to sit and write and complete an entire novel. And that is how I kept my sanity: Alone, but with my thoughts. If the pandemic had not been so devastating on the populations of the world, I’d almost wish for another one. Then I wouldn’t have an excuse for “doing something else.”