K.L. Kranes

Wake up to my dog taking a running leap off the bed while barking so loudly it makes the windows rattle and all because a squirrel scurried across the roof. Reluctantly get up and throw on a t-shirt and sweat pants. Maybe brush my hair, maybe not. Open the laptop sitting on my bedside table, which will not leave my sight for the next 14 hours. Read over my daily blog and post it. Make now standard morning phone call to <<insert name of government representative depending on the day>> on my outrage regarding <<insert the latest outrage because it’s definitely a daily occurrence>>. Check to see if there are any upcoming protests or rallies my family should attend. Check social media and sometimes get sucked into a social media hole that I don’t get out of quick enough. Check book-related emails and respond. Go to kitchen and make and drink caffeinated beverage (preferably chai tea). Start day job (that slips into night and sometimes overnight) as an editor. Put on my headset and start my first call. Pace. Pace. Pace. Type. Type. Type. Talk. Talk. Talk. Work. Work. Work. Try to curb my penchant for cursing. Get growled at by the dog who points her nose over and over at the cabinet under the sink in the kitchen because she wants a treat and won’t stop growling and pointing until she gets one. Finally, give in and give her the treat. Pace. Pace. Pace. Type. Type. Type. Talk. Talk. Talk. Work. Work. Work. Say hi to my daughter when she gets home from school and try not to be offended when she shrugs in response. Field conference call while driving daughter to dance class. Sit on uncomfortable, slightly gross bench with laptop teetering on my legs and neck curved over in an unnatural position, and continue to work while the giggles of dancers and Pat Benatar songs drift out from behind the door of the dance studio. Drive home. Breath in happiness when I walked into a house filled with with the smell of garlic and flavors created by the magical cooking skills of my husband.

Try to pet the overly-excited dog who jumps up and down like she’s on a spring and enjoy the fact that she is always the happy to see me. Squeeze in a session of guitar practice after nagging my daughter to practice her instruments. Eat dinner with the family and have a conversation that somehow devolves into my husband and daughter making strange sounds or repeating phrases just to drive me crazy and then devolves further into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Clean up kitchen. Maybe fold some laundry. Go upstairs, still carrying laptop, crawl into bed (nope, not to sleep). Instead, try to somehow fit in all of the following with varying degrees of success (provided don’t still have day job work to do):

write blog for next day, work on sequel to The Travelers, read blogs by my favorite bloggers, and/or read a book. Around 9 pm, save my laptop from crashing to the floor as my daughter jumps in bed next to me and talks about what she’s reading. (My favorite part of the day.) Put daughter to bed and then get back to reading/writing/blogging/working. Turn off lights around 1 am and try to go to sleep (try is the operative word here). Instead, lay in bed thinking about the state of the country, or the world, or my writing, or one of the books I’m reading, or my family or my day job, depending on which one affected me the most that day. Fall asleep around 3 am. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Phew – finding a balance in life sure isn’t easy, but it’s certainly never boring! I’m a lucky lady!