I have a love/hate relationship with that phrase, to be honest. On one hand, I’m all about positivity and I like the idea that an otherwise downer day of the week could actually be a great one. But on the other hand, do I like Mondays? No. To be honest, I’m bummed out starting around mid-day on Sunday, because I’m not even close to feeling ready to start another work week. Why can’t our work weeks be four days long instead of five? Why can’t we work 32 hours a week instead of 40? Why do the weekends have to fly by so quickly?
So “Happy Monday” feels a bit like an oxymoron to me most weeks, but here I am greeting you and the day with just that phrase. Why? Because it actually IS a happy Monday so far. Just minutes ago, I hit “Publish” on both my e-book and paperback versions of WILD HEARTS on Amazon KDP. Within 72 hours, they’ll both be available for purchase. I did it! I really did it.
I dream about the day that I’ll be able to say “Happy Monday” and mean it with every fiber of my being. When the start of a new work week isn’t a daunting, slightly depressing concept – but rather a renewed opportunity for inspiration, motivation, and a whole lot of words being written. I long for the day when I can wake up to my family, knowing I’ll actually get to be present with my son for many more hours of the day than I am now. When I can feed him breakfast in our kitchen, take him to school, and get to work writing from the comfort of my home. I dream of engaging with readers on social media, via email, and balancing promoting my work with the writing of new stories. Then being able to pick my son up from school, spend time playing with him and greeting my husband at the end of the day – full of stories and enthusiasm from the great day of writing that I had. I dream of eating dinner at a reasonable hour because I didn’t have to commute for an hour-and-a-half (and actually having the time to cook), of being able to go for walks in the evening because we’re not rushing every single tiny moment. I dream of feeling fulfilled and inspired – not worn out and jaded by a day spent going going going, but never really getting to the place I wanted to go in the first place.
These are my dreams, and I know they won’t be easy to achieve. The publishing of one novel will not make this life a reality for me, but as I’ve been saying from the beginning of this process… it’s a start. I’ll never know the life I want, or fulfill the dream I have, if I don’t click “Publish” and see what happens.
I’m thrilled that I can say today – no matter what else this Monday brings – that it’s a happy one just because I’ve taken the leap. The months of writing, proofreading, editing, designing, and preparing have come to an end. WILD HEARTS is about to be my first published novel.
Maybe one day I’ll look back at this blog post during a day of writing at home, waiting to pick my son up from school, and I’ll realize all over again how grateful I am for having taken this one crucial step towards reaching my dream and living the life I know I’m meant to live. I can only hope!
So thank YOU, readers (from the future!), for being here. Thank you for supporting me, for reading my blog, and for letting me write WILD HEARTS for you. In 72 hours when it’s available for purchase, I sincerely hope that you love it.
And I hope you have a very happy Monday, too.
STEPHANIE KLINE 