My dearest friend and I were out for a stroll through the deep canyons to the east of the White Cliffs Wagon Road when the odd thought came to mind that my world is currently suspended in limbo. This photo of the Hackberry General Store, part of the cover collage for my last book, Route 66 Backroads, seems to have cemented that thought.
I was doing a bit of organizing, a wonderful way to spend time suspended in limbo, when this photo caught my attention. In the weeks following the day I took this photograph it seemed as though there wasn’t time to spit or pay attention. Now…
The next book, Ghost Towns of Route 66, is approved but is on hold pending final contract. Release for Ghost Towns of the Southwest has been bumped from fall of this year to spring 2010 which in turn means the final edit is hanging over my head.
I am quite excited about the next two scheduled signings but both are almost a month away. Again, limbo.
The project to restore the vintage Packard sign and rehang it on the front of the historic Old Trails Garage along Route 66 is ready to go. The city is on board, the estimate has been approved, the owner is ready, but … Now begins the process of raising the funds for a matching grant.
It seems as though there are fifty projects all suspended in time for one reason or another – planting the garden and getting Barney ready for summer, painting the house and the summer moving season, our first exhibit of photos at a gallery and the Route 66 Fun Run.
Well, the good book says to rejoice in all things and that is really what I should be doing. This a time for reflection, for gathering thoughts, and enjoying a good book or two. This is the time for thanksgiving as I am truly blessed.
Perhaps that is the very reason for this season of limbo, another lesson in the importance of taking the time for being thankful, for counting blessings rather than problems, and for savoring the simple pleasures of each day. Perhaps a step back for reflection, for enjoying the companionship of my dearest friend, and another opportunity to cruise Route 66 under a desert sky rather than worry about the next book, the future of my job, taxes, or even the bleak economic outlook of the coming year is just what the doctor ordered.
