On August 27^th, 2023, I wrote an enthusiastic post about the work I am doing on a revision of Look at That! So clear-headed. So excited. So methodical.

Then Life happened. I can smile as I write that now.

Long story somewhat short, I experienced yet another retinal hemorrhage on September 20th that was far worse than the eight previous ones. This is no fun for anyone, but when you only have one functional eye, it can feel like the beginning of the end of life as you know it.

(Anyone out there not know what I’m talking about? Have you not read my memoir, Double Take, published a year ago? Its 230 pages and 155 illustrations cost only $5.99 on Amazon eBook/Kindle, and as you all must know, you don’t need a Kindle device to read books on Kindle. You just need the free app on your phone, tablet, or computer. People with diminishing eyesight love the accessibility of eBooks because we can enlarge the font to whatever size feels comfortable. Give it a try. There’s no need to give up your passion for printed books, you can enjoy both. It’s a luxury not afforded to everyone.)

So, back to my story. In late August I was rewriting a book. In September my eyesight was so distorted that reading, writing, and even walking became very challenging. So, I paused. Life invited me to slow down, breathe, and use up a bunch of Kleenex too…

After my ninth retinal injection on September 26th, the distortions slowly began to recede.

I began to breathe again, to regain hope, and as I looked around, I realized I had lost a full month off of my publishing schedule.

Then one day in early October when I was having tea with a good friend, she said, “Rather than pushing to stick to that original plan of publishing by November 15th, why don’t you consider postponing the book launch to the spring? By then people will be feeling spring fever, they’ll want to be outside again, full of inspiration to buy the new version for their best friend. Then they can go out sketching together once a week like you do with your friend Patrick.”

I smiled and nodded. She continued, “Besides, you keep coming up with new ideas to include in the revision, and you don’t want to publish before that final best idea arrives, right?”

I do have the wisest friends.

So, for now, the first edition of Look at That! is still available and is a wonderful gift for you or any loved ones with itchy fingers or twitchy creative hearts.

About my artist’s memoir Double Take: the paperback version is $24 USD because 230 pages of full color is expensive to print. I won’t be hurt if you prefer to get the $6 eBook version. Both include all 155 illustrations. (Previews of both versions are available on Amazon or in your local bookstore.)

Here’s part of the book description of Double Take:

“If you’ve ever wanted to peer over the shoulder of someone drawing in their sketchbook, listen to them struggle with their artwork, watch them cheer at an unexpected victory, and deal with progressive blindness, well, here’s your chance.

“Double Take is a true story, the back story behind my first book, Look at That! My goal in that first book was to inspire people to look, and see, and sketch, and fall in love with eyesight.

“The hardest part of writing Look at That! was keeping it concise. Now, in Double Take, I get to tell you everything I left out of that first book. This is the real “why” behind my writing Look at That! ”

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I must admit, it feels great to add six months to my publishing agenda for Look at That‘s Second Edition. Much of that pressure, of course, was created by posting that last blog page here 54 days ago. Once again, I see that containing my enthusiasm about a new adventure has never been my strong suit.

Time to wrap this up and get on with my day. Here’s today’s life lesson:

Give yourself permission to regroup.

If you’re anything like me, you hate disappointing yourself as much, or more, than you hate disappointing others.

But remember, appointments and disappointments are all constructs of the mind.

You can change your mind, then watch your heart soar yet again.

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