Now before anyone gets too excited, I am not proposing that procrastination is necessarily a good thing. My unfinished manuscript would strongly object to that argument. In fact, if my book could talk, it would likely be standing in the corner with its arms crossed, tapping its foot and asking, “So...when exactly are we going to get back to work?” It has become increasingly judgmental.

I had a goal when I retired: finish my book about Ida Alice Flagler within a year.

That was adorable. Here I am, well over a year later, and the book is still very much a work in progress. I have become an expert at finding fascinating tidbits about Victorian mourning jewelry, and could probably give you a fairly convincing tour of a Victorian hotel bathroom. The book, however, remains unfinished.

But I’ve decided my lack of progress isn’t entirely a failure, because while I wasn’t finishing my novel, life was happening — and what a life it is!

At the top of the list, we welcomed a new grandbaby into the family. If you’ve ever had the privilege of becoming a grandparent, you know that a new baby has a remarkable ability to rearrange your priorities. Self-imposed deadlines can wait when a tiny person needs my Grammy’s around him.

Then, there was Alaska. My husband and I took the entire family. Four generations, from great-grandparents to great-grandbaby, and all siblings and significant others. We created magical family memories, and no amount of pages written or chapters completed could possibly compete with that. Getting that many people together on the same itinerary was no small feat. Apparently, I can organize an Alaskan adventure... I just can´t organize Chapter 12.

So no, my writing goals are not where I thought they would be. The book is not finished. The chapters are not neatly tied together. And I still tend to confuse “research” with “writing.”

But, on the bright side, while I was busy not finishing my book, my life was busy lifeing, and apparently it had a much better agenda than I did.

I got to hold a new grandbaby. I got to experience Alaska with my entire family. I made memories with the people I love, rather than locking myself in my office for days on end to meet my daily word count goals. That’s not procrastination; it’s prioritization.

The book will still be there. The baby won´t stay little. And, since my own kids are grown and away from home, I will have plenty of time to focus on my project in between visits.

So, I’m giving myself a little grace and will get back to writing as soon as I finish putting together these photo albums for everyone (yes, photo albums!); then I´ll get back to writing. Unless, of course, I discover something fascinating about Victorian scrapbooks...