Guest Post--Leslie Huber

Leslie Albrecht Huber is a freelance writer and mommy of four
beautiful children. Her first book, The Journey Takers, launches -
TODAY! You can read more about it at http://www.thejourneytakers.com/.

 Book Launch Anxiety – I mean Excitement!
By Leslie Albrecht Huber

I have been waiting for this day since I was five years old. Today is my launch for my narrative nonfiction book, The Journey Takers. In the years since I was five, there has never been a day that I didn’t want to publish a book. And now it’s happening. I have even worked on this book for over ten years (publishers tell you not to admit that, but it’s the truth – and I think you other mommy writers will understand why it has taken me a little longer than I anticipated…) Over the past few weeks and days, lots of friends and relatives have called or e-mailed me to congratulate me. They often say, “You must be so excited.”

I must be. Right? But, over those past weeks and days, excitement isn’t the main emotion I have been feeling. In fact, there’s hardly been any room left for excitement because of another overpowering emotion that has been crowding everything else out. Would like to know what that emotion is? It’s anxiety.

There are lots of things to have anxiety about. On Monday, I leave on a cross-country book tour from Massachusetts to California. I have to make sure all the press releases have been sent out, all the places know I need a screen to use with my projector for my presentation, all my book talks are tweaked just exactly right to fit the audience. I have to address book postcards. I need to contact magazines and ask them to review the book. I don’t have time to even brush my hair these days, let alone respond to the seventeen new e-mails in my inbox. But I want to!

Did I mention that I have four children including an eight-month-old baby? Did I mention that all four of them (and my mother – bless her!) are coming on my book tour? This brings me back to the detail issue. I need to pack the car for four children for two months! That’s how long we will be gone – two moths. While I’m thinking about details, how big of cake should I order for the launch? That depends on how many people come to my launch. Will anyone come to my launch? Will anyone read my book? Will they like it?

These are the thoughts that swirl around in my head every night. But just this week as I was lying in bed thinking similar thoughts to those described above, a new thought came into my mind. It’s the thought I started this blog post with: I have been waiting for this day since I was five years old. This is my life’s dream. And it’s coming true. When am I going to stop having panic attacks and actually enjoy this? When am I going to celebrate?

I think as moms and as writers, it’s very easy to get bogged down in the details and anxiety of life so much that we don’t pause to celebrate the big and little victories - the meaningful, exciting moments of life. We don’t appreciate our accomplishments whether they are getting an article accepted in a magazine or pulling off a successful birthday party for our four-year-old. There is always something else that needs to be done, something else to worry about, some other goal we haven’t attained yet.

So when am I going to celebrate? I am going to celebrate today. I am going to be excited. I am going to savor this moment. And I hope you will take the time to savor some of those exciting moments in your life too.

Because tomorrow there will certainly be another reason to have anxiety.