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Saturday, April 5, 2014

The Return

I have been silent on the blog for quite some time, and for a while I even felt internally my blogging days were over. Many of my blogger friends had discussed their experiences with taking blogging breaks, stepping away when blogging felt like a chore instead of a joy, and returning with fresh inspiration. Personally, I never tired of writing, of sharing this world with you, even when my readership waxed and waned, even as I realized that my dream when starting this blog - of eventually writing a cookbook like so many bloggers - was no longer likely a reality. There are many bloggers far more talented and better qualified to write cookbooks than I. Still, I continued writing because I loved the creative outlet, and loved the sense of community - energetic and supportive - within the blogosphere. In a world centered around conflict and debate, I was always startled and touched to find bloggers focused upon kindness and empathy - a tiny sphere of softness in a harsh universe.

And then life intervened. My world became consumed - and still is - with full time graduate studies (obtaining my Masters degree in business), supporting my amazing husband, who is still an internal medicine resident in the US Air Force and still working 80 hours a week (translation: he helps all he can, but most of the time I'm the only one home to cook, clean, and do the laundry!) and the transition to my dream job opening and managing a non-profit community health center. I became overwhelmed with the pressures giving seemingly countless hours of time and energy to my job (and always wishing I had more hours and energy to give to my inspiring work!), completing homework assignments (and coping with my type-A insistence on getting 100% on every assignment and exam), and getting through the simple activities of daily living! I fell apart for a while, and the blog disappeared from my radar.

None of these life circumstances have changed. I am still working more than full time at my job, I am still a full time graduate student, and while I type my dear, exhausted husband is recovering from a long stretch of night shifts at the VA hospital. On top of everything else, we are due to be re-stationed by the Air Force and are awaiting our duty orders at any moment. My gypsy heart sings at the idea of a new adventure, but for the first time finds itself heartbroken at the thought of leaving my beloved, tattered, resilient downtown Dayton Ohio and the job about which I am so passionate. Not an ideal time to return to blogging, right?

Watching the sunset from the roof of our apartment building downtown...
Lilly and Ruby, watching Dayton

Yet I feel my creative energy returning again after a long winter, and I feel my tired voice might have something to say once more. Welcome to the next chapter of our enduring journey, my dear friends.

The return of spring
Me and my Darlin'!

We still have four wonderful fluffy cats!
Ruby, my study buddy.





2 comments:

  1. hi astra - nice to hear from you - I think it is nice as blogging becomes more 'long term' with so many of us that our enthusiasms wax and wane with our energies - will look forward to hearing how you are going - good luck with the changes

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  2. Hello Astra,
    So good to hear from you. I've been away from blogging too - on and off for different reasons, and have recently taken small steps to get back into blogging. Its a different world to what it was two years ago and I remind myself that I do it for me.

    Johanna has written it beautifully that I need not add to it, just wishing you and yours truly warmest of wishes for the future and the changes it brings.

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