Cold Weather Prep, Self Imposed Guilt, and Other Stories of Escapism

We like to romanticize the Fall especially when the leaves turn and there is a decided change in the temperatures. I love to imagine sinking into an overstuffed chair with a good book and a warm drink while I toast my toes in front of a fire... 

    But the reality is that there is so much that demands our attention at this time of year that it's nearly impossible to find the time to set back and relax. With every dropping degree I realize that I need to finish the winterization of the RV. And there are still chairs on my deck that need to find their winter place. All the repair projects that we put aside all summer for a rainy day are now charging forward for attention, needing to be done before Thanksgiving and the following weeks of merriment leading to Christmas. 

   My husband works for a large outdoor retailer here in Maine (yup, that's the one) and because of that he has spent many years of "busy season" at work. Also, he's a hunter, so he'll be fitting in a few trips to the outdoors himself in between the quickening evening darkness and the exhausted trips home at night. It all adds up and sometimes the demands just make the other priorities fall away. 

   I started out thinking I was going to do NANOWRIMO this year. If you are new to writing you may not know that November is National Novel Writing Month. During this time of year many, many writers chain themselves to their notepads and computers and try to beat the deadline of writing what is essentially 50,000 words in one month. The goal is not perfection, but to really get the words on the page so that they can be edited later. I've failed to meet goal every year I've tried, but there is always that sense of FOMO that comes with watching everyone prepare for the torture... err, process of NANOWRIMO. 

   I'm not doing it this year. 

   Oh, I'm still writing, but I'm not going to drive myself to self-imposed guilt when I fail it once again. I could win? Possibly, but the chances are pretty good that I won't. I've got enough self-imposed guilt. Not going to push for more. 

   How about you? Are you ready for the cold? Let me know what prep you are avoiding? I may need some pointers.