Over recent weeks I’ve had a problem with sleeping. Whenever I lay my head on my pillow, my brain takes off at a million miles an hour and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. It just goes on and on in a constant loop. Last night, while watching an episode of Bones I dozed off. I got a phone call and by the time I got off the phone my brain was running. To say I was dismayed is an understatement.

Funnily enough though a couple of hours later I again found myself asleep on the lounge. So I dragged myself to bed, lay there for about 15 minutes and just as I about to give up, Tashi, the dog I’m looking after decided she’d sleep in the bed with me. This isn’t a problem, but you need to remember I’m used to Millie, who weighs as much as half a feather. Tashi, is a Staffie dog. All muscle. And weighs much more than half a feather.

I don’t even remember going to sleep. But I did. And I didn’t move – couldn’t have anyway – until 6:30 this morning. Tashi decided it was time to get up. So I did, opened the back door  so she could go commune with nature and prepared her breakfast. It wasn’t until I put the bowl down that I realised she hadn’t actually gone outside at all. Just straight to her bed, where she promptly fell back to sleep.

She’s not moved an inch in 2 hours. I meanwhile have updated Facebook, had coffee, rummaged about trying to figure out what to have for dinner tonight, done a Tom Cruise “Risky Business” dance – while wearing pants but no sunglasses – down the timber-floored hall way and am now trying to figure out how to wake Tashi up to go for a walk, which totally seems self-defeating. I don’t want her passing out on the road and needing to be carried home.

I have to say though, that the idea of doing something today has been at the forefront of my mind. I’ve got a friend coming over for dinner tonight, so I’ll probably go and see if I can find some shops. Pick up a few tidbits and nibbles. Maybe even a bottle of wine. The home owner of the house I’m looking after is back tomorrow so we can to see Pink, and Friday I’m catching up with my friend Sally. So much for my fear that by being down here I’d be isolated. I’m barely going to have a day to myself.

As Writing in Shadows continues on it’s journey, it’s becoming less about creative recovery and more about general observations and thoughts. I don’t know if this is because I’m writing again. What’s the old adage, those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Mind you, the instructors I’ve had over the past couple of years don’t fit that category at all. They’re all highly accomplished authors with careers most people would be envious of.

I guess the reason things change and grow is that as I become more comfortable with one area of my life I move onto wanting to work through others. There will always be a thread of writing and how to in Writing in Shadows, but I sort of think the whole concept will change as I become more focused on creative expression, rather than creative recovery.

To that end, I’ve decided I need to have some new “features”, regular columns almost to appear in the digital pages of Writing in Shadows. I’m not yet certain what they’ll be, but I’ll figure it out in time. Articles, commentaries, opinion pieces, the world is my oyster so to speak. At least in here it is.

One idea I’m toying with at the moment is the “journey to self published author”. I’ve written about all sorts of things over the year and a bit I’ve had this blog. The idea of now putting all that into a focused concept is sort of interesting to me. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to invite the followers and readers of Writing in Shadows along for the ride.

Some of you have probably already done what I’m setting out to do, others may be considering it. But I thought it might help to maintain the focus on creativity and creative recovery, while adding the new element of Creative expression.

I guess the point to this post is to simply say that life is doing well, and doing well is a case of moving with the times and adapting to the circumstances you find yourself with. I can’t keep writing the same old thing, so instead I’ll find new avenues to do what needs to be done. It’s a pretty cool thought for me to apply to all areas of my life.

Unti then, I’m off to find my prize for being an Early Bird. I’m hoping it’s a million dollar pay check rather than a worm, but hey, energy flows where your intention goes, so I million dollar pay check, here I come!