The Dark of the Night

Well.  New chapter.
I'm sitting here in the dark in the hospital.
Frank had a bad flare of his Crohns, and it landed us in the hospital again - bringing me back full to the time 6 years ago, about, give or take, when I started blogging in the first place.  Blogging got me busy with something to do as I sat in the hospital and watched him.

Watching him entails a lot of boredom while he sleeps.  Watching him means being on call for ice chips as needed, but not having much else to do.  Watching him, at night, like now, means staying quiet but staying close.  Perfect time for using the computer.

Back to the beginning, but some things have changed.

-There was no facebook back then.  Facebook is a serious time suck.  I love it but I hate it. It's so hard to break away from, and there is so little good creativity there anymore.  And yet, I can't look away for long.

Blogging started to keep people in touch with how Frankie was doing.  It was easier than making a million phone calls - and it was a creative outlet.  I wrote a lot, I enjoyed doing it.

Facebook does that really well, now.  But I can't stay on facebook all the time, it is mind-numbing, not helping.

Yeah, another big change is that Frankie is no longer a child.  He's an adult, pretty much.  At 22 he doesn't want to be the topic of my blogging anymore.  I understand, and it's his story to tell, not mine. 

So HERE I am, trying to stop looking at the same boring facebook posts over and over, trying not to overshare Frankie's life.  I decided I would go back to writing my family story.

Nanowrimo.  Usually a November project.  My first Nanowrimo, successfully completed, was the November AFTER Frankie's guts exploded last time.  Then, I tried a few other times, less successfully.

This time, I'm going to continue to work on the project I have in mind, which is a family history.  I like the idea of doing a family history, as a fictional story, with some basis in fact.  I've started it already.  And I've sat here all day and worked on research.  I've got a few good ideas.

Nanowrimo Summer Camp.  That's what I'm doing.  And since I'm stuck in the hospital, in the dark of the night, sitting up all night with no bed... but with a computer and access to the internet, and a story whispering itself in my ear... it seems like a really good time to write!