where have we/you/i been since january 1, 2021? or march 13, 2020? or late 2019? in all the different ways that world events and personal or global goings on have shaken us up and spit us out, i'm here to tell you nothing you can't also tell me about your life's path: i am changed. we are, all of us, changed.
the rate at which nothing stays the same is increasingly baffling for someone who has a dedicated corner of her life rooted in nostalgia and well-worn pop culture references. there's some truth, i think, to the concept that life passes more quickly the older one is. i'm surviving middle age by talking about all the things with anyone that will listen; i'm fortunate to be surrounded by genuine friends of various ages who do so much more than just listen.
my new and ample commute has become a self-care hour(-ish). i catch up with friends near and far by phone or long-neglected podcasts; i learn about ADHD and explore the various stages of menopause, i delight in the fact that there's a version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS narrated by andy serkis (clocking in at 21+ hours, i've barely covered the first chapter, but i am ridiculously excited about future listens). i marvel at all the cars of the road and am so damn thankful for work that it hardly matters.
i'm going to try at being back (here) with more regularity. i don't know what the cadence will be, but something more than nothing sounds nice, even if all that happens is that my words echo emptily from a tiny square of the ginormous internet.