Finally

Finally, it rained in Phoenix! Last year, the monsoons began at the end of May and continued through October. This year, they’ve been absent until last night. Some parts of Arizona have seen rain. Not a lot, and not often enough. Most of the day was cloudy. A chance of sprinkles is still possible through the night. Finally, the relentless, brutal summer temperatures have been broken. We can breathe with relief for the next few days, since by next Friday, the temps will again be over 110 degrees.

Finally, after more time that I thought it would take, the transition from summer clients to fall clients has happened. Some will continue to come aboard. I know I can be flexible, but I also love my routines. It’s the routines that help me remember to do all the things I need to do. It’s the routines that give a sense of order and control. I’m settling into one, and it brings relief.

Finally, I finished the short story, “Alphabet City”. As all my projects do, this one started one way and morphed into something else. I’m pleased with the outcome! This weekend I’ll type Celina’s story into the Word doc, do a little rearranging, a quick edit, and then send it off to the editor. Because the client schedule settled down, I devoted more time to my spiral notebook. It makes me happy to know that the muse hasn’t abandoned me! The story came as it usually does. There’s joy in this routine, too.

Finally, I can move forward with the two admin tasks I’ve been sitting on. They aren’t urgent, but this time of transition from first draft to first edit is a good place to pivot my efforts. A week to polish the AC and finish those tasks, and I’ll be ready for the next fiction project. I also decided which nonfiction will be worked on next, but not at the sacrifice of my fiction. Priorities. Is there something in your life that is “finally” at the stage you’ve been waiting for? Do you celebrate your “finally’s”?