Hello there!
I've been gone a long time. I know some people who have been disappointed that I stopped writing for a while. Others probably didn't even notice. I'm a little of both, to be honest. I'm disappointed in myself for letting my writing go away, but my time has been filled up with other stuff so at times I just really didn't notice that I wasn't writing.
The beginning of the slow down can be placed squarely at the feet of my aborted attempt at a job here. While it was exhilerating, it was also exhausting. It filled my mind even when I wasn't working. It was a great experience, but it is equally great to be finished with it. More on that when I have absolutely nothing else to share.
It's easy once a thing has slowed down or stopped to simply refuse to pick it up again, and I guess I found myself in that frame of mind about writing here. Not lazy per se, but definitely also not brimming with enthusiasm for writing.
I have found that since moving to the countryside I feel less compelled to write. I know that sounds weird, but writing for me has often been a way to get my fears, anxieties, and questions out of my head and onto paper where I can make some sense of them. It's a stress reliever of sorts. Now that we live in the country I'm no longer suffocating in the energy of thousands of strangers. There are no bars on our windows. We have privacy. I have completely buried myself for this year and a half in my solitude. My batteries are recharged. It's time for me to reach out again.
I had also found myself writing through a few extra filters at the end, worried that I would offend my dear friends who just happen to be Italian when I write about the insanity of beaurocracy here, or the male dominated culture of cycling, or the regular snubbing I used to receive everywhere. To be clear, all of those things still exist....I'm not writing again because the Italian government has streamlined, women are respected and plentiful on the roads, and everyone wants to be my friend.
I still have a story to tell. Even if there's only one person (you know who you are) reading, it's worth writing down. Because truthfully my stories are less about others and more about the often ridiculous situations I manage to get myself into. I can laugh at myself and that helps me to move forward. Expect to hear about the pounds of blackberries I'll be picking and my inability to find jars right now, the joys of having a pool in the front yard, the bike rides and the friends I ride with.
It's good to be back.
