Well. Today was a success on the Bout of Books front and the overall life-wellness front, but not so much on the writing goals front. But there were reasons.

I woke up refreshed, at a normal time, and began my day with my weekly writing coach call with Kevin T. Johns. That was inspiring as usual and gave me new things to think about as I progressed through the week. I then achieved my other 2016 goals by going to a yoga class and taking a walk around a local park: exercise and sunshine, very good things. I came home intending to get my writing done before I picked my book back up, but that didn’t happen.

Neighbors were home, for some reason in the middle of the day (on upper floors of the rented multi-family house we live in), and they were noisy. There was no blocking out the sound of their toddler running across the hardwood floors, each step reverberating throughout our first-floor unit—and reverberating throughout my skull.

I can’t adequately explain how much this affects me. It’s a bit insane, but I am super sensitive to sound. My blood boils, and I feel like a trapped animal with no escape. The noise is just invasive. There’s nowhere I can go in my own home to get away from their normal living activities (with the exception of the toddler banging blocks on the hardwood floor). The problem is, this house wasn’t built to be a multi-family and therefore is not insulated as such. I can hear regular-volume conversations from the family upstairs, word for word. That’s how bad it is.

I should have left, gone to Panera to write, but instead I dealt with the aggravation by getting lost in Keeper of the Lost Cities. It was productive in one area, at least: I didn’t go hide in the basement and play video games.

Before the end of the day, I finished the book, and I’ll write a review tomorrow. It was everything I’d hoped it would be, and more. I’m a little disappointed in not reaching my writing goals today, because reading with balance is something I’m striving for, but I can work on that again tomorrow.

Mostly, I’m proud of myself for not giving into life/home frustrations. I didn’t let an aggravating afternoon interrupt my good and productive day, and that feels great.