Got Nothing. And That’s Perfect!
February, the shortest month of the year, has put on its coat, donned its hat, and is about to venture out into the rarity of a blizzard in Southern California. As I walk it towards the door, thinking of pertinent parting words, I quickly realize two things:
I’ve got nothing. And that’s perfect!
Really, it’s fine. A lot happened in February. Guesting on another MON App episode with Dr. J on writing erotica. Starting to edit erotica for a popular writing site. And lastly, finalizing content for a new blog I’ve been wanting (and personally needing) to launch for over seven years.
A lot didn’t happen. I’m a month behind on reacting to edits on two of my stories. The first isn’t very difficult. The second feels like it’s beyond my wheelhouse. But I trust both editors and their intentions and challenges, and thus am looking forward to rising to meet the task.
Why am I behind? Life. Just the realities of life, planned and unplanned.
I’ve always felt that one of the most difficult things to do in life is tread water. It’s easy to swim towards the promise on the horizon, chase a seafaring rabbit into the depths, or gaze at the possibilities among the stars. But treading water, that takes strength, courage, and conviction.
February also included Mardi Gras.
Fat Tuesday in far more that gorging on New Orleans cuisine for a day and flashing for beads. It’s another holiday meant to satiate the pagan soul before Catholicism invokes piety and prayer to restore us to purity.
There are other holidays that were created for just the same reasons.
Valentine’s Day was created to offset Lupercalia, the pagan ritual where men sacrificed a goat or dog, then whipped a woman with it’s hide to increase fertility. The pairings were random draws intended to last the two day duration, but could go longer if the match proved desirable. Quite the kink.
Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, was created to celebrate people who had passed, and to pray for those stuck in purgatory. Personally, I prefer Dia de los Muertos, where hispanic cultures celebrate the past living’s positive influences instead of praying for what they might have “done wrong”.
Christmas, a very valid celebration, was positioned on December 25th to rest halfway between the hedonistic celebrations surrounding winter solstice and the start of the new year that sometimes included military operations.
And then there’s Mardi Gras. The “season” begins on the twelfth day of Christmas, which is January 6th. Also called Epiphany or King’s Day, it celebrates the visit by three wise men, or magi, to baby Jesus. It’s often celebrated with a King Cake, an elaborately decorated brioche ring, that contains an item of distinction hidden within. In North America, that can be a trinket looking like a baby. The common ritual is that whoever has the trinket in their cake slice is rewarded with good luck for the year (yeah!) and has to provide next year’s King Cake (meh). The season lasts until the day before Ash Wednesday, although most activities happen on or near Mardi Gras itself.
I like celebrating Mardi Gras from Friday night thru Tuesday night with various gatherings of family, friends and loves. It’s great fun connecting during this time of year. For the northern hemisphere, it’s the promise of spring and new beginnings. And on the other half, the harvesting of foods to carry us through the winter.
So bring on March.
There are two challenges that are very meaningful and personal to me in my March this year.
The first is a call for submissions from a premier erotica editor. I’ll be pouring over a few stories and outlines to perfect the best submission I can offer. I’d like to think they have a decent chance, except for one key challenge to overcome. The story must be ~1000 words. It’s been hard enough for me to truncate my stories to ~2000+ words. Telling stories in half of that? Hmmm.
The other is launching a weekly blog that’s been in the making for over seven years. I went to pull up about six months of content that I’d created years ago, and couldn’t remember the file password. Looked into all options of hacking it, including talking to a skilled cryptologist. No luck, it’s gone. So I’ve spent some time starting anew, and with a couple of month’s content ready, am kicking it off then. It’s not related to anything you see here, and will be written under an alias to protect myself from creeps.
Beyond that, I’m still managing some balance in my life with hiking and trail work, daily walks and gym time. I’m still mentoring and tutoring, and keeping up on other interests. And I have a four hour recertification exam to prep for. I do mean it when I say it’s all in good fun, because if it wasn’t, why do it?
Blessing to all as we roll into Women’s History Month.