Don’t Give Up on Me

I made a commitment to daily writing.

A few months ago, my husband and I began a nightly ritual. He set an alarm on his phone for 8:00 pm. At that time, he would find me in the house, wherever I was, and ask if I had done any writing that day. It could be any type of writing — something formal for my blog, or an informal quick capture of my thoughts in my journal — but the intent was to hold me accountable to a commitment I had made to myself.

Last night he asked, “Can I turn off that alarm on my phone for 8:00 pm every day?”

I asked him why he would want to do that.

He shrugged and replied, “Well most days the answer is no, so I figure writing must not be that important to you.”

I was pretty hurt by that comment.

I told him that I am trying so hard to figure out how to fit writing into my day. Between three active kids, a full-time job, taking care of myself in other ways like yoga, and the desire for sleep, finding a consistent time has been tricky. But I keep trying, and eventually, the groove will become so well-worn that it is a natural part of my day.

The Daylight Savings Time change really threw me for a loop a few weeks ago. My body had settled into a rhythm of waking around 5:30 am every day. I savored the quiet of the…