My New Toy – Lynn Lorenz

No, it’s not that. Nothing that needs batteries, vibrates, or has an extension cord. Unfortunately. (that’s my husband snickering, not me. Swear it.)

But it’s just, if not more, important to me – it’s my new tilt-top bed/chair table. WHAT? Yeah, it sounds as bad as it is. It’s ugly. Brown and chrome. Like the kind in hospitals so patients can eat from a tray of bad hospital food. It goes up and down. Tilts. Only mine holds my laptop and mouse. Except my mouse keeps sliding off and the lip around the edge isn’t high enough to stop if from falling off when it’s tilted.

But I think a few straws and some tape will solve that problem. And a non-slip mouse pad. The more I use it, the more I’ll get the kinks worked out.
So why, you may ask, dear hearts, did I order this hideous table, spend $89.00 (with free shipping) and most of my husband’s goodwill when he put it together?

My back. It’s giving me spasms — literally. And since I sit in a computer chair for 9 hours a day M-F for my DJ, coming home to sit another 2-3 hrs in my own computer chair wasn’t cutting it. I couldn’t make 1 hr and it was getting worse. My back was killing me and my writing fell off so badly, I wondered if I’d ever be able to finish a book. So I had to either give up writing, write only 1 hr a day (making me nuts, cuz I have way more to say than I can type in 1 hr), do irreputable harm to my back, or find a way around it.

I voted for sitting in my chaise chair, with a heating pad on my back, and this tilty table. It’s cool! I love it, mostly because I can sit in the living room with everyone and write. Not that I was alone most of the time I wrote – my kids’ video game (one of many) is in my bedroom where my desk is. Now, I’m in the living room where the big screen TV, the Wii, the DVR and the Playstation 2 are located. So, I’m back to hearing “die, die, die!” and “You have been vanquished” and “I shall prove my worth on the field of battle!” and writing through it.

I forgot how much fun that was. No seriously. I’m hanging with my kids, and they’re teens, picking up on their games and lingo, and in a weird way, spending quality time with them. Oh, yeah, and I can once again claim them as my monkey slaves — asking them to get me ice in my soda, or bring me the remote, or pop some popcorn for me, because I’m writing and they like, no they love, the things I buy them with my writing money.

Like said gaming systems and games. The big screen TV. You know, the important things in their lives. LOL! And the funny thing is they don’t mind me. Even when I make sarcastic comments about the games they play. I try to hold them to a minimum, but seriously — some of these fighting games are strange. My son will spend an hour getting the fighters in the perfect outfit – changing colors, hats, boots, and I won’t even mention the weapons. Lots of weapons. LOTS.

My daughter will curl up on the couch next to me, play her handheld game, or surf the web on her ipod, and we’ll chat. She’ll show me the latest dwarves pics on Tumblr or we’ll share grumpy cat lols, or she’ll tell me what her friends are texting her about. If I were in my room, I’d miss that. And I would miss that.

Being a writer is often lonely because you’re alone. I’m lucky that I can write, like now, while stuff is going on all around me. Like my family. My dh is just on the other side of the patio door, and we can talk to each other if necessary. Even the dog hangs out with me now. I know a lot of writers must listen to music or have quiet. I’ve never had the luxury of quiet — my family surrounds me.

And they encourage me. Frequently. “Shouldn’t you be writing?” and “Are you going to write tonight?” are often asked of me. I like to think they know how much I love writing, the stories, and that’s what spurs their encouragement, not the $$$. Yes, that’s it. They know my joy. They do, really. Hey, leave me my illusions.

And fortunately, I found this solution to my problems. I’m getting used to working around my health issues, like knowing I’ll be renting a motorized scooter/wheelchair for conventions like RT and GRL. I have to if I want to attend. Thank God it’s tax deductable. LOL!

It just goes to show you what a writer will do to keep writing. And I have to keep writing. So many stories yet to tell. I can’t wait until I retire (2015) so I can write full time. Maybe by then I won’t need my tilty table. Or the wheelchair. Or maybe I will still be using them. I don’t know anything except I don’t plan on not writing. Not as long as I can. Hey, there’s even Dragon if I can’t type anymore.

Where there’s a will there’s a way. This is just one of those ways.

What’s your way? Have you been at a place that almost kept you from writing? What did you do? Tell me, I’d love to know.