Focus on how far you've come, not how far you have to go. -Institute for Heart MathMy final check-in for this round (even though it doesn’t end until Thursday)… When I started this round, I was in a funk: It seemed only barely possible that we could manage to move our family by August, and dealing with two classes was daunting all by itself. I had a major work project in the offing, and I knew I would be traveling between Virginia and Wisconsin every few weeks. I couldn’t imagine there would be any time left over for fiction words.

I was mostly right. But this week, I’ve been able to build on the bit of a start I’d made, and book three of Red Slaves has now broken 22,000 words. I’ve plugged in the numbers at WriteTrack (which I highly recommend!) and discovered that if I keep pace until my next class starts July 7… I’ll not only have finished this book, but will also have likely finished the short story due at the end of the month!

It’s enough to make a gal giddy.

I have worrying news from the home front to counterbalance that: Kyra has been injured almost to the point of being unable to walk. We’re hoping a vet chiro will be able to see her on an emergency basis tomorrow, and I’m crossing my fingers that will allow her to regain her mobility enough to enjoy the new yard I’ve signed us up for… I found a house and signed the lease, so our official move-in date is 8/1.

Here, again, is tangible proof of the power of stated intentions and deadlines. It seems that if you put a statement into the world and take daily baby steps in that direction, even when everything has gone pear-shaped, you do make progress. Somehow… I hit the goal of completing my classes (with As, again, no less). I hit the goal of doing the necessary things to move my family by August. I even hit the goal of writing at least a little bit of fiction this round. The exercise was spottier; I don’t do as well unless I have the excuse of my girls to get me out of the house. The major work project went off with only fixable hitches, but also general good will, so I count it as a win as well.

Mostly, I’m grateful there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. In 18 days, I’ll be back in Wisconsin, this time to box up everything and load trucks. I won’t have to tolerate weeks-long separations from my family any more for the next round. So while there will be time lost to packing, unpacking, and settling, there won’t be the perpetual cloud of absence or incipient absence. For that, I will share the silliness my hubs forwarded me earlier this week.

So I’m grateful, once again, for the ROW80 group and its encouragement with goal-setting. I’ll be back next round again. In the meantime, check out how my compatriots are doing at the tail end of this round.

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