I have questions

 

***ETA. SEE POSTSCRIPT 

Disclaimer:  This photo of Jasper is everything which is why I’m posting it but it has nothing to do with anything in my thoughts today 😎

So tomorrow Gary leaves for a week in Seattle to hang out with Julie.

I have a serious question.

Should I use the time alone with Jasper to:  

(1) Marie Kondo/Swedish Death Clean this entire house, a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I’ve tried unsuccessfully for Gary to do with me since the pandemic.  I have to say it weighs heavily on me, it keeps me up at night, I don’t want the kids stuck with 50 years of stuff if god forbid anything happens to us.  

Or, 

(2) Edit the first full length novel I’ve written and been (sorta) happy with in the last ten years?  I’m way excited about it because it explores a favorite topic of mine these days, dealing with growing older while maintaining a strong sense of humor.  If you don’t, you’re not going to enjoy whatever’s left of your life.  

I mean, I’ve noticed there’s usually two types of retired people, (a) those who want to do, do, do 24/7 and have second careers, travel, and (b) those who are like Hey, I worked for 50 years and raised a family, leave me the fuck alone, I’m perfectly happy vegging out and have zero goals other than waking up breathing.

Gary and I are 100% (b).  

Writing is something I have done every day since I’m a kid, it’s as natural as breathing so I never consider it work and it sure as hell doesn’t make me an (a).

But I started thinking, what if I wasn’t like that? What if I were an (a) and Gary was a (b)?  

It would be horrible for both people, so naturally my brain went there.

But it could also be funny.

What if they had a child who was a celebrity chef in a celebrity romance so the novel wasn’t just about boomers and I could also spend a lot of time talking about food and how much parents should or should not be involved in their adult children’s lives.

The novel just wrote itself.

Anyway, those are my two choices.  I’m not entertaining any other ideas, I need to be totally committed to whatever I choose.

Okay, back to helping Gary pack.

***POSTSCRIPT

Gary:  You’re not going to do anything stupid while I’m gone, are you?

Me:

Gary:  What are you planning?

Me:  I’m going to edit my novel 

Gary:  What else?

Me, looking at my feet:

Gary:  Please don’t try and lift or move stuff and please don’t throw anything out without me.

Me:  WHYYYY 

Gary:  Because you’re on 5 different medications for your wonky heart and you take blood thinners.  If you have a heart attack or cut yourself and bleed to death, who will feed Jasper?

Me, now terrified (not really but I have to say, neither thought occurred to me, especially bleeding):  Okay, I will just work on my novel.

Which is really what I wanted to do, anyway 😎