Starting over in 2016

I've set a yearly writing goal of 100,000 words for 2016. Which means I need to write 275 words a day. Which is harder than I thought thanks to my role as a Foster Mom to two little girls (5&7).

So...I missed my writing goal yesterday. In fact, I didn't write a single word yesterday outside of responding to posts on Facebook. I now have a few choices. I can:

1. Quit and start up again next year.

2. Stomp my feet and cry.

3. Feel bad that I've let myself down.


4. Tell myself that it's ok: I can adjust my word count goal to 99,725 for the year. 


5. Hate or envy my fellow Poe Writers.


6. Feel intimated because Cassie's written over 3,000 words and I've done...1500
7. OR I can tell myself that life gets messy and I need to accept that.

I think I'll choose #7: yesterday I needed to monitor a visit between my foster daughters and their biological mother. She was an hour late: my writing goal turned into feeding the girls and acting as cheerleader. 

Little Princess wanted to write her mom off and go home, but Big Princess needs the contact with her mom. So, we sat in a crappy McDonald's, ate equally crappy food and waited. 

She showed up, finally, and pretty much ignored the girls while complaining about her life to me. Yay.

Little Princess played on the playground or cuddled with me. Big Princess played with mom's phone before playing and I lost the time I intended to read and research England's Parliament (something necessary for my work in progress).

After we got home, I showered off the McDonald's ickiness from the girls. Fed husband and myself. Got the girls to bed with some cuddles and reassurances and then played Hay Day on my iPad until I fell asleep. No writing got done, but I need to feel OK about that.

So here's my internal cheerleader: Be OK with that: I need to identify life's elements that suck up time. If these elements are inflexible, then so be it. Do not compare my word count to the count of others: their life may not contain as many walls and barriers. Avoid feeling bad or intimidated. If I can flex some of these barriers, find a way to do so: you can always catch up on your writing on days without barriers.

The minute my enjoyment of writing ends...take up painting. Writing is suppose to be fun, not a chore.

Hugs.

P.S.

Not all McDonald's are bad. The one we visit is an armpit. The nice one I found that's clean with nice employees and food that's actually yummy? Too far away from bio mom's home and she actually complained in court that it's not fair that we chose a McDonald's too far away. We are under court orders to go the armpit McDonald's where the staff cannot keep ahead of the clientele. Yeah. She rocks.