Words flowed from my imagination onto my laptop. I stayed in the Zone all day. I hammered out scene after scene on my novel from early morning until the street lights came on. I smiled because not once had I peeked at the Internet. I’ve labeled it as my Curiosity-Addiction—an obsession with today’s politics, a devourer of my time, my sleep, and consumer of conversations.

The deadline I’ve set for myself to finish my novel, The Last Merry Go Round, has come and gone at least two times. It’d be pointless blaming the Internet when my finger has a mind of its own, connecting me in warp speed. I’ve confessed to friends I’ve spent hours reading about what’s going on in Washington and around the world. After which, my fried brain has become too exhausted to generate anything worth writing. Needless to say, I’ve been angry at myself because of the time wasted time when I could’ve been writing.

We’d like to think tomorrow will always come when we set the clock for the next morning. What if we only had 6 months to live? I pondered this question. What would I do? Would my novel still be important to me? I’ve thought about my legacy hard. How do I want to be remembered?

When I ask those who know me, they list my attributes:  friendly, good sense of humor, caring friend, and loving sister and wife—but I’m greedy, I’d like to leave more behind. As I’ve moved to free myself of negative thoughts, my mind has begun to open more and examine what I want to be remembered for.  Being an eternal optimist, I’d like to think I’ve many years before the Grim Reaper knocks at my door. . . but, just in case, I’ve used the 6 month gage and have started a small list of objectives.

So, I say, as I’m surfing the Internet and getting mad at myself for not writing my story, if I don’t make time for anything but Internet headline news, then I’ll have to be happy being known as: a friendly, good sense of humor, caring friend, and loving sister and wife with an uncontrollable curiosity.

And hope when I come back the next time, I’d have learned an important life’s lesson as old as time:  Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.