I’ve been busy the last few days (too busy) getting ready to leave my beautiful ranch in LA to go to in New York. Why is it that I have to work two to three times harder before I leave town? It’s crazy. It’s not like, wow; I get to take a break from all the chores and details in my life since I’ll be gone. It’s more like I have to do the work of three people all at once, accomplishing all the work that I would have done if I hadn’t been gone in a third of the time which = Stress.
But I love New York. And it’s lure kept me going through my dawn to bedtime workload, tempting me like a carrot dangling in front of my nose, but in this case, it’s a big shiny apple. I like NY so much that years ago, I tried to convince Patrick to sell our LA place and move there. You know – we’d have ultra urban in NY, and then complete rural ranch living at our place in New Mexico. Sounds pretty good, huh? But this wasn’t a reasonable idea considering that three dogs, two cats, six horses, and one peacock would have to come along, and it’d be really hard to pick up all the poop.
I start press for my book next week, but I’ve come a few days early to spend New Year’s Eve with my wonderful girlfriend (let’s just call her Lady M). Spending New Year’s Eve in NY was Lady M’s idea, and a good one. It fit right into my new M.O. to shake things up and do something different every holiday. We have a fantastic evening planned, and it’s something that I been able to look forward to the entire month of December. I can’t tell you what a difference that’s made over the last weeks – instead of dreading, really, really, painfully dreading the thought of New Year’s – I’ve been excited about it. Bravo to Lady M.
Of course the Lady M and I will probably shed some tears over dinner (she lost her husband not very long ago, too), but our camaraderie will warm us. And hopefully, we will find a smile as we raise our glasses, and toast those that are still in our hearts. And have some damn good fun while we’re doing it.
In the meantime, I’m heading to a doctor to see if I can kick out the last of a chest infection I’ve had for a couple weeks. The holidays have been tough, I’ve been working hard, and my cough has not been helped by the fact that stress levels have been spiraling off the charts.
But I’m in New York now. And since arriving, I’ve felt the tension start to peel off of me, like shedding heavy clothes and armor. And I’m enjoying how that feels. How wonderful to feel…relief in my life. I know this respite will help me in the coming week when press begins, and my life spins into a whirlwind again.
For now… Breathe! Breathe!
