Where to go from here?

My last blog post was 2.5 month ago.  Back then I was frustrated and trying to come to term with my emotions after 3 weeks of “lock down”.  3 weeks. NEVER did I imagine it would turn out to be a 3 MONTH shut down!  And we aren’t fully open or out of the woods yet.

I’ve been struggling with what to write about. There is so much to say, but so many great articles out there by people far more talented than I. I’m not an expert on grief, depression, or anger and I would never want to presume to give advice about those topics. There has been PLENTY of material out there for that type of reading.

My blog is not a “diary” style blog.  I don’t post about my day to day life and all the little details of what I’ve been up to,  I don’t rant or share my opinions about every topic, that’s what Facebook is for. I like to make posts once a week or so about interesting places I’ve been, new recipes I’ve tried, things I’m discovering about myself.

After 3 months of essentially being cooped up there wasn’t much of interest to talk about. If only I had been one of those people who used that time to their advantage. I didn’t learn a new language or take up a new hobby. I didn’t become a master chef or fitness guru.  I didn’t tackle any big home improvement projects or renovations. I didn’t write a book or even as you can see, keep up my blog.

There WERE some milestones along the way. I grieved the one year loss of my mom. I celebrated the arrival of my first grandchild. I mourned the passing of my father in law. I marveled at the fact that we have been doing this empty nest thing for a whole year already.  But writing about those things felt overwhelming.  How do I go about talking about those small,personal things while ignoring the BIG picture. It’s like there was this giant COVID cloud hanging over me every single day.  And every week that went by without a post it just grew more daunting, too much to tackle.  I just didn’t have the energy to try.

Life is looking up though. I’m back to volunteering and seeing my friends. Summer weather is here and I’m enjoying my garden and our local beaches. It’s time to get back to my blogging. While I can’t ignore what is going on in the world, I’ve come to the decision that the only way to get on with my blog is to let someone else write about the pandemic and protests and politics.  You can’t open social media or turn on the TV these days without being bombarded with this stuff!  I’m going to stick to my stuff. I’m simply going to be ME.

Empty nester, proud Michigander, amateur photographer, occasional blogger, wife, mom and now, Gram. Someone who is actively trying to better herself, enjoy life, be grateful for my blessings and give back to my community. I hope you’ll stick around and take the journey with me.

I have lots of ideas for upcoming blog posts.  Stay tuned, I’ve missed you.