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Summer Lovin'

This summer, I am not teaching. While I love my job, I also love writing and it was time to take advantage of being able to take the summer off to return to my first love.

Last week, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself though. In fact, since the semester ended, I've been restless. I can't shake the feeling that I've forgotten to do something. I have to stop myself from checking my email several times a day.

Instead, I've been reading about music, watching movies, YouTube videos, and documentaries about music. I made a questionnaire for listeners and a target one for women lead singers in bands. I am even attempting to learn the guitar. While I haven't spent a lot of "butt time" writing, my brain is churning, thinking, putting things in order, creating ideas and bridging others together. Even as I've made to do's to keep me busy, folding the-I-never-want-to-fold-laundry or cleaning out my closet, I've been thinking about music. Busy hands. Busy mind. I gave myself this week to continue this process before I start writing. Up until now, I still didn't even know my characters name, but now, in all my musing and thinking she told me. Lola.

Today, I walked home from the gym. That might not sound weird to most of you, but in Texas, the temps have already hit 105. When I left, it was cloudy, and instead of calling a Lyft, I decided to walk the little over mile home. Mid-way the sun came out. I paused under the shade of a Mulberry tree and pondered how silly it would seem to call for a 5 min ride or make the 15 min walk. I pulled out my phone, went to Amazon music and decided to listen to Lamar's DAMN for the remainder of my hike. I listened to DNA, thought about Lola, thought about my sore fingertips from steel guitar strings, and my upcoming trip to Belgium to focus even more on Lola.

Lola, like Coca-Cola.

And just like that, as the sun turned my brown skin a little toastier, summer arrived.
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