Waiting for the Other Shoe

That's a horrible cliche, I know: waiting for the other shoe to drop. But that's the way I feel today. My reason for saying that is that today I took a big step in terms of writing assignments. I applied to an on-line magazine for a writing position. It appears it can be part time, and either replace my Suite101.com writing or go along side of it.

The magazine is for the construction industry, both buildings and infrastructure, and includes engineering topics. They pay very well for on-line writing. If accepted, and if my articles pass muster, I could make some real spending money through this site. They have several types of articles to write, of varying lengths and for different payment. I don't know how long the evaluation process will require, but at midday, Wednesday June 16, 2010, I'm optimistic.

So why am I waiting for the other shoe to drop? It seems that every time I try to ratchet up my writing activities, something gets in the way. My time gets usurped for things that must be done. My CEI work suddenly increases. I'm expected to do something else. Computer crash, car crash, home repairs, etc.

It is predictable. If I try to increase the time I spend on writing, something will come into my life that prevents my doing so. I have wondered if this is God's way of presenting closed doors, an indication that writing is the wrong direction for me to go. When I put writing aside for a time to do some other needed item, nothing ever interrupts my doing that item.

So we'll see what happens. Maybe this e-zine won't accept me. Maybe I'll get into it and discover it's not as lucrative as it appears. Maybe I'll find it's not a good site to write for after all. We'll see. If the other shoe does drop, I'll fall back on one of my standard comforts: Retirement is only 7 years, 6 months, and 14 days away.