My brain woke up this morning clicking and whirring long before my eyes were open and certainly way too long before my body planned on rising. It began contemplating my day. How many hours before I go visit my mother for her birthday. When can I call my eldest so that they are ready on time, but so that I don't wake them too early that they are grumoy all day? How many hours can I put together to work on my novel?

And what is restricting those hours? As I went through the rest of the commitments or needs for the day the blockers to my novel-writing time were simple but necessary items, like grocery shopping, showering and eating. Or other things that i wanted to do like visit with my mom and oldest chid, and learn that BTO song on guitar because I think that one may go down well at open mic in Mexico this winter. For those of you who don't know BTO, no its not the next K-pop band in series, its Bachman Turner Overdrive, a 70's Canadian rock band. And for those that do know them, no the song isn't Taking Care of Business, everyone my age already knows that one. So many people in fact that a world record was set in May of 1994 when 1322 guitarists gathered and were led by Randy Bachman to play one song for over an hour. That song of course was Takin'Care of Business. The song Im gonna learn is Can We All Come Together. I think it could bring a good sing-a-long vibe for even those that don't know it. Holy, I digress Batman!

But then again I don't. I think this is kind of the point. I wander, I let my mind wander and I always want to be doing something, reading, playing guitar, writing, riding my bike, or there are things that need to get done, such as, cook dinner, grocery shop, cut the grass, go to work. It's no fluke, by the way, that "go to work" was the last on these lists. Not because I do that the least, in fact it consumes most of my time and thoughts, but its perhaps the lowest on the most wanted to do list. But back to the point, once again, its me with the commitments and demands on my time, and the road blocks and doubts, no one else.

No one in my life has ever said or even suggested that I couldn't write a novel. Everyone that I've mentioned it to has met that statement with encouragement, even in their eyes. I look for the doubt, the sarcasm, the false hope, but I can't see it. Maybe I don't want to so I'm blinding myself to the fact, but I don't think so. I think the people in my life; family, friends, and colleagues, that know about this endeavour truly believe this is something that I can do.

And also, no one in my life has told me to stop writing so that I can get other things done. When I am at the keyboard, they know, they understand. When I'm in my courses at Writer Jump, or doing the homework, they don't question the time commitment or the money spent. It's accepter, no, it's encouraged. Its cool.

Its to all of these people that both encourage and let me be me that are in the acknowledgements. My greatest fear right now is that there is an Acknowledgements page. In other words, god, I hope I actually finish this book. Sometimes it feels like a joy to write, sometimes the swamp of thoughts, papers, outlines, backstory, beats, scenes, and possible endings is too think and deep and slog through. But it always seems likes its after a few too many of those days, that someone asks, "How's the novel going?" And that is all the encouragement I need.