Distractions of a Sunday Night

Sunday night is the worst night of the week.

Sundays are relaxing, leisurely, and calm (at least some of the time). I garden, I clean, my husband grocery shops and sometimes I even cook. Sunday evenings are peaceful. The kids are kicked off of their computer and the Wii is put away for the week. Ahhh, the peace of Sunday in the Brown house. It's lovely.

Then, two o'clock rolls around. AM, that is.

Yes, very often at two o'clock on a Sunday-going-into-Monday morning, I am still awake. Why? I can tick off a handful of reasons. On Sundays, I sleep later and get up later, I drink my coffee later and take my vitamins later, I write a lot and I read a lot, Monday morning is just around the corner... and a lot of times I just can't stop thinking.

Last night, I tried to do a lot of thinking. It started early--about 10 AM when I got up. I thought all day. I thought while I was at my daughter's soccer game. I thought when I was gardening. I thought when I was doing laundry. I thought when I eating dinner. I thought at two AM when I was supposed to be sleeping. All I've been thinking about is that ever-elusive Essential Truth. (Yes, a week later, still thinking about it.) The chapter I wrote didn't cut it. I had to try something new.

I was supposed to be finding that Essential Truth when I discovered all sorts of distractions. Maybe if I found some spooky kind of music to play that suited my fantasy story... maybe then I could think. Now I have an impressive audio library of all sorts of creepy music, along with a lot of other interesting songs that I found but didn't really need. Maybe if I found a famous quote to start the story with... maybe then it would come to me. Now I have an impressive collection of quotes.

(An aside--the best quote I found is from The Hobbit:

It will not do to leave a live dragon out of your plans if you live near one.

-J.R.R. Tolkien)

Still, the Essential Truth teases me, and stays just out of my reach.

Tonight, I resolved myself to writing, Truth or No Truth. Forget the thinking, just get to the writing, Patti. And I will! Just as soon as I finish my blog, add some kid quotes, charge the iPod, check the weather, respond to a few emails...

-PLB