Crisis of faith

This post could probably use a photograph, but since I don't have the real one, I'm not looking for a free one online.

Most of you guys are writers, and you'll understand. I've been beating myself up for a couple of days now. This stems from the preparation of tax documents and what they reveal about my writing career.

It probably goes without saying that I spent more than I made in 2015. Something tells me I'm not the only one, and I don't expect you to chime in. I actually expected this, and planned for it to happen. Then when it happened I got myself all worked up.

I actually made four times what I made last year. This should be a good thing, right? It is, but it took me a circuitous, mopey route to get there.

First I had to look up other writers and count reviews. Turns out, I'm not doing bad on that front either. I still don't have a book with the magical 20 reviews, but a couple of them are close. I think it's reasonable that one of them will hit that mark in 2016.

I'm going to completely deviate to tell you another story. Stay with me here. I grew up in Nevada's Great Basin… A loooong time ago. This was the era of DDT and other pesticides. As these things got banned and things recovered, we had a few bald eagles show up. The first time I saw one was magical.

I lived in tents for two whole summers, and my family camped more weekends than not. This includes frost, snow, and mud. I'm pretty close to the Earth and the wild things.

Every time I've ever seen a bald eagle, I wound up accomplishing my goals. This includes some pretty tough goals, but if an eagle showed up it worked out every time. It doesn't work with golden eagles, which are common.

Tonight, on my way home from work, a huge bald eagle soared over my truck. He was fully mature and looked stunning against a clear blue sky. I would have pulled over and watched him, but you just don't do that during the commute.

I really don't have a detailed goal right now. That worries me a little bit. My goal for writing is to have fun, and eventually make something at it. I have been having fun, but a little more success would be nice.

I'm sure the eagle is a sign of something good. I just don't know what. I'm glad he showed up, I kind of needed him about now. I don't have a detailed goal, but I feel something good in the air.

I was going to skip posting tonight, because I have a guest tomorrow. She's awesome and will carry the banner for Entertaining Stories for a day. Then the eagle showed up and I decided to share. Make sure you come back and support my guest tomorrow.