ISN’T THIS WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO?

               You’re not going to catch me making any New Year’s resolutions. That’s for another age group. Writing goals? Yeah, I have those. Continuing to be the best spouse I can be for a loving wife? That’s ongoing.

               I guess this is more of an appropriate time for reflection. And in this particular case, this year did not evolve entirely on its own. Rather, it was the end result of long periods of work and effort.

               I originally came up with the idea for The Day of Calamity while sitting in a hot tub in April of 2019. But first I had to finish the Ark City Confidential Chronicles series, then came Covid, followed by a period of uncertainty. I pitched this new book in 2022, worked diligently with my editor before a final galley was created, and then had to wait from May 2023 until November 29 for the release date. There is a lot to be said for patience being a virtue.

               As of September 2023, my wife and I had been looking to downsize for a full eighteen months. We previously lived in a 2500+ square foot Victorian home in midtown Wichita which we KNEW we wouldn’t be able to maintain physically or financial as we made plans for retirement. High interest rates, inventory shortages, and a plethora of other issues made our search initially appear desperate. The only thing we had to count on was that our home was paid for and we didn’t have to move until everything was right.

               Then, a timeline that seems like the 4 x 100-meter race at the Olympics:

               September 18 – We go see a house. It seems right. We make an offer.

               October 19 – Closing day, followed by three gruesome days of moving. (Well, let’s call it primary moving. There was STILL a lot of stuff left.)

               November – We get an offer on our house, a scant 10 minutes before the realtor was going to list it.

               December 13 – Closing on a house that was our home for 25 years.

               All of this stuff happened, ended, finished in 2023. The seeds, however, were planted earlier. At this very same time last year, I was editing a book, trying to determine its value compared to those that came before, haphazardly plotting out a marketing scheme. My wife and I perused Zillow and Trulia, had deep discussions over Friday night happy hours at home, thought and speculated and strained our brains.

               As time goes by (or as I get older – take your pick!), I understand that life is not based on simply a calendar year. Everything you start in January will NOT come to a resolution by December. Every single day, you process both mentally and physically what happened on that day and how it has some relevance for that abstract thing called Tomorrow. The dough has to rise before you bake the bread. When it comes to smoking meat, they always say “Low and slow.” You do and then you wait.

               So, I’m putting this all down and declaring it as a standard that many people seem to follow, the thing you’re supposed to do. No, I am not declaring any resolutions. I am, however, continuing to put one foot in front of the other and moving forward. That’s the place I’d rather be anyway.