I finished reading Stephen King’s On Writing a few weeks ago. He talks about the importance of shutting the door when writing. Although he was speaking figuratively for the most part, it can also be taken literally.

For the past few weeks, life has been a bit rocky in our household. It started when my oldest daughter left to visit her biological father. He left our lives when she was two…and this is only the third summer that she’s gone to spend time with him (she’d almost 14). So, in a way, it’s like sending her off to stay with strangers for 3 weeks. I’m not as concerned about her this year as last year…but…

Then, one of my best friend’s daughter is involved in a situation. Since my friend Ellie died two years ago and her husband moved out of state, we’ve sort-of adopted her daughter. She calls us for advice and help, which we dish out when needed. But (you saw that coming, didn’t you)…there is a point where I can no longer help. The situation she is involved in is very similar to the one I went through when my husband left me and my child. So having this constant needle of reminder after ten years has really affected my state-of-mind. My wonderful husband gladly offered to handle the situation and I handed it over to him.

And I’m now being forced into a very uncomfortable situation. I have to shut the door on this. I don’t want to avoid her calls or or visits. But I have my own life too. One that involves finishing writing Fool’s Gold and working on the stack of edits that dropped in my inbox this morning.

So, I’m shutting the door…