Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Limbo and What it Does to Your Head

And I'm not talking about the dance game.

I'm IN limbo. So many things are up in the air, waiting to hear about things, waiting to start things, just a general state of limbo. Not just with writing but with homelife too. And it's seriously messing with my head and my already less than patient attitude.

I've mentioned before that we're on the cusp of a major renovation. We've been on this cusp so long I've worn a groove in it from the pacing. I've also got a few things out there in the writing arena and with the expected summer slow down in publishing I figure I'll be waiting a while on those things too. I swear, some days the groove is quickly becoming a pit. Sometimes it feels like I'll never get out of this limbo. I even looked up the definition of the word to see if it captured this frustrated, helpless, trapped feeling I'm living with:

LIMBO (of limbus limbo, fr. L, border - more at LIMP) 1 often cap: an abode of souls that are according to Roman Catholic theology barred from heaven because of not having received Christian baptism 2 a: a place or state of restraint or confinement b: a place or state of neglect or oblivion (proposal kept in …) c: an intermediate or transitional place or state

Oh, yeah, baby. Captured what I'm feeling times a bazillion.

Sometimes I do actually feel like I am physically constrained and, in my worst moments, believe I am being neglected/obliterated. But what I really should focus on is that Limbo is also that last definition: an intermediate or transitional place or state. In a real life example I can relate to: Limbo is the time you spend in an airport waiting for the flight to get you to that really awesome island vacation destination. I hate airports but they are a necessary evil in order to get me to that ultimate destination. They may be boring, even stressful, maybe downright uncomfortable but they are, above all else, TRANSITIONAL. Which leads me to another definition:

TRANSITION: a passage from one state,stage, subject, or place to another.

Or, better yet:

a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage or style to another).

Yes, I like that. I'm not in Limbo. I'm in Transition - my house will evolve from its old leaking, dysfunctional shape to a beautiful, made for our family work of art. My writing is evolving from one form (submitted proposals) to one day accepted, publishable, real life books.

Now if only someone could tell me how long I'll be in Transition. And what I can do to make this airport more comfortable...

4 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear you're in limbo. I hate that in-between state of waiting and anticipating - it can be maddening. Since I'm such a control freak, I try to find things to control when I'm in limbo - even if it's something small. Maybe there's some little thing you can focus on to help you forget all the big things? Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely post. Limbo is a place shared by many at one point or another. Glad that your's is more viewable as "transition". It's amazing the power a word can hold for each of us and finding one that lessens any discomforts felt is a event worth mentioning indeed.... Here's hoping your trasitional phase is only as long as it needs to be.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm in limbo, too, Nelsa so I can totally relate to your post. It is better to view it as a transition, I guess. OTOH, I 'm been here so long, I think now I'm in 'transitional limbo'. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Anna: I know what you mean - it is that lack of control, isn't it? As for focussing on something else - like working on that WIP maybe? Sigh. I made it to five chapters and then the limbo won out. I need to get out of the airport soon! :)

    Hi GMR: Thanks for popping in. I do like to trick myself with word games. It sometimes even works...

    Hey, Natalie: Thanks for the commiseration, bud. Here's hoping your limbo ends soon!

    ReplyDelete