As I sit here, I am reflecting on the past few days. I got home from the road Monday evening and have been resting up from my travels, doing my laundry, and basically preparing to back out and do it all again.
Yes, the rest has been welcomed as life on the road can be pretty exhausting. While I do get my sleep every night and my truck is quite comfortable, it's still 'being on the road' and after a week or so that truck can become pretty small and cramped. I have all the comforts of home while traveling. A stove, fridge, tv, dvd player, stereo system, a nice sized bed.....well ok, not quite ALL the comforts of home. No toilet or shower in my rig and I do miss my recliner at times.
Normally I also have my laptop with me so I can get online at WiFi hotspots which a lot of truckstops now have. It is nice to be able to get online right from the truck. Just pull into the parking lot and fire up the laptop. But, alas, my laptop is in need of repairs. I hope to be able to have my bills caught up in the next few weeks so I can afford to put it in for service.
I was off work for a couple of months after a wreck and got behind on a few things. Darned creditors just don't seem to understand these things, do they?
Anyway, I digress. One of the greatest pleasures and respites I get while home resting is the opportunity to write. Not to pound out some great masterpiece that will forever change the world, but to simply put my mind down in words. I have always enjoyed writing. Creative writing and Composition were among my favorite courses in college and I don't mind saying that I did quite well in those classes. I truly love to write.
I have never really worked hard to master all of the techniques and tools of writing needed to become a professional writer. I did at one time aspire to write professionally, but gave up on that a long time ago. "The Great American Novel" just isn't in me. I have written several short stories and articles in the past and received some satisfaction at having them published on a small scale. Never anything big of course.
Perhaps writing professionally would take all of the pleasure out of it. It would become "work" and I'm not sure it would be as satisfying. Or, perhaps knowing that I would never be a great writer, it's just "sour grapes"? Whatever the case may be, I am content to write merely for the sake of writing. To express my thoughts and ideas in print (even cyber-space print) has it's own rewards.
While I do keep a journal while on the road, finding the time to set down a few thoughts is rare and they are never as long or as in-depth as I would like them to be; just a few notes here and there. Time is simply not available for it. This is one of the things I most look forward to when I get to spend some time at home. To write for no other reason than "I can".
While it does lend a certain pleasure and satisfaction when others read what you have written and express some interest, it really isn't the point or even required. It's the writing that matters most. Just the writing.