Monday, June 3 was a four-drink day.

I’d spent the weekend nursing a rather excellent cold. It earned top marks for annoyance and snifflessence, which is a real word now because language is a construct and my version of that construct is a rule-free bounce house.

That Monday was supposed to be my final Monday at the music studio where I teach (more on that in another newsletter). Instead, I had to reschedule my lessons that day while balancing a four-beverage flight.

The contenders:

1. Water. Served in my definitely-not-a-Stanley-cup, this lovable libation has kept humans and also everything else alive for as long as “alive” has been “alive.” Did you notice how the other cups are much smaller? That’s to fit water’s swelled head. To paraphrase Aladdin: “Phenomenal cosmic ego…itty-bitty living space.”

2. Tea. I’m not sponsored by Tazo’s Refresh Mint flavor, but if you or a loved one has been employed by Tazo, my inbox is open for negotiation. I will accept free boxes of Refresh Mint in exchange for telling people how great Refresh Mint is. (See how smooth that was? Almost as smooth as Refresh Mint. Subtlety is my passion.) Anyway, the second one’s tea.

3. Emergen-C. If orange juice became addicted to steroids, sobered up in a moment of existential realization, traveled to Tibet to meditate for twenty years, learned the secrets of the universe, and dehydrated itself to achieve enlightenment, it probably still wouldn’t taste like Emergen-C. But drinking this stuff feels like an important step toward wellness. Dump, dissolve, and down the hatch we go.

4. Coffee. Cold brew. Oat milk. Vanilla syrup. Ice. Recycled plastic. Most of those are in the cup, while the last one is in the cup, which means something entirely different. Did I mention that language is a construct?

Anyway, I realized in crafting this newsletter that this quartet of consumables represents a core idea that anyone can appreciate, even opponents on the coffee-tea continuum: variety brings flourishing.

At the risk of waxing philosophical (too late), I’m learning to balance the tasks, passions, recreational activities, and family responsibilities that come with adulthood in particular. Marriage, home ownership, dog ownership, and perpetual babysitting have brought some clarity on what I need to be my best self.

I love writing books. But if I spent all my time writing books, I’d be exhausted and frustrated. I might start despising it, or even actively avoiding it, like I’ve avoided songwriting the past few years.

I love editing clients’ books, too, but I might go crazy if that’s all I spent my time doing. So let’s balance writing and editing.

(P.S. if any authors out there need a last-minute editor for the month of July, I’m your guy. Just respond to this email!)

Every piece of my life adds complexity. Exercise, Xbox, playing with the dog, playing with Baby H, chores, church, faith, financial planning, family dinners, dates. But instead of getting overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have to do perfectly (which is a favorite habit of mine), I can work out that balance a little more each day.

I have lots of wells to drink from. And, like this metaphor, I’m still figuring out how to land the plane. But I’m finding my wells and I’m drinking deep, even when it tastes like Pepto-Bismol that’s been sitting in the Orlando sun in June for two hours.

This isn’t advice from someone who’s made it. It’s also not advice from someone who hasn’t made it. This is just what’s on my mind.

So here’s to drinking deep.

Stuff to Read

I wrote on article on Vocal that they picked as a Top Story for June.

And as always, don’t forget to check out Marrow and Soul wherever books are sold!

Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

P.S. Stay tuned for my next author event in July.

Writing Updates

SPOOKY SEQUEL // Revisions are going swimmingly! I’m racing to finish them before beta readers take hold of this manuscript on June 17. They’ll have a little over a month to provide feedback; in fact, they’ll finish on the day I reveal SPOOKY SEQUEL’s title!

Speaking of reveals…the cover design is done! I’ll show you all the cover before it gets released publicly, but here’s a tiny teaser:

Another artist is finishing the new map design, while another artist has returned to create some killer new character art. As always, newsletter readers get first dibs on these reveals!

If you’re an author who needs their book edited this year, I still have Indie Author Edit spots open in July and September and limited spots for other services. Email me now to claim your spot before it’s gone!

See ya next time,

Addison