editor eyes

Editing: My Early Years

Not sure if this is common knowledge among my readership, but I'm not just a teacher and private school social media director for my profession. I'm also an editor. And over the past few weeks, I have had to put my blinders on and focus on the largest project I've ever edited. 

By blinders, I mean shut out the world, so I can focus! To carve out more project time, I've put off some school work, canceled plans, not set plans, stopped cooking dinner for my family (lots of fend for yourself nights and pizza just got ordered yesterday to save the little guy's mac n cheese chef skills for tonight), missed out on several activities and dates, etc., and I have got to have the most exhausted eyes ever. Like, I'm pretty sure I have the eyes of an old lady for sure now. There is nothing wrong at all with having old lady eyes—except if you're not one yet. I'll have to treat myself to some kind of eye treatment or something to refresh them. I don't even know. If anyone has ideas on what to do to give eyes a rest outside of sleeping for a year, please leave a comment. I'd totally appreciate it for real. 

My eyes are so done with reading and scanning and close, close reading that I don't know if I'll want to read a book for leisure for like a month after this is done! I know, I know. I must be losing it big time. And I probably won't stick to that, but right now, even typing this is reminding me that writing is reading and my eyes are going to break up with me if I don't show them some love and lay off. 

There is a truly wonderful side to all of this—I love the project. It is filling my mind with ideas and great treasures of knowledge as I read the author's work. What a fantastic by-product of working so hard.  

Another pretty great part too is that I am getting to do another thing that I love, so I can take care of myself and my family. Teaching has always been my calling, I think. And social and marketing and public relations fit with my personality and natural talents. Then this editor stuff takes my English teaching skills and word love and technical training and wraps them all into one big nerd fest every single project I have the blessing to work on. 

How awesome is it that I can do what I enjoy? These eyes see blessings. I think I'll train my focus on that to pull me through the final leg of this marathon manuscript I'm working on. 

But you people really need to come up with some ideas for how my eyeballs will get some rest. Okay? I'm counting on you.