Routines, Writing, and The Caterpillar's Dilemma

05/17/2021

Routine means you know what to do without having to ask, "Is this okay?" Or, "Is this what I am supposed to do now?" The year that began in March 2020 upended my life in so many ways: COVID, retirement, My Father-in-Law's illness and death, my mom's illness and death. My routines have been disrupted and disrupted again so many times that now life feels wide open and unmoored. This feeling, wanting to know what to do, right now, and next, and next is so human that it has many names: feeling unmoored, trying to reinvent the wheel, and the Caterpillar's Dilemma.

A writing prompt from my mom's (now my) journal group was "Keep Moving." This prompt led me eventually to reflect on routines. This reflection led me to the caterpillar's dilemma.  

Finally I recast the Caterpillar's Dilemma as a children's fable and submitted it to the Cricket Magazine Group.  I hope they will like it either for Ladybug or Click.  This is my first step towards the writing I want to do!  Now the next step will be making writing a routine...