My Mexican adventure sadly ended much sooner than I had anticipated or desired. The universe brought me to a new city and a new job where I have learned and grown in the past year. Unfortunately, the last 18 months have been a roller coaster--Emily in a walking boot for what felt like forever, family death, family member diagnosed with MS, upheaval in my sister's (AKA BFF) life, death of my beloved cat of 15 years, a shitty apartment that came with insect and rodent roommates, and a job that I simultaneously love and hate.
Don't get me wrong, there have been good times. I went back to Mexico for Christmas and had an amazing time with the friends I made there. I've gotten to spend more time with my sister in the past year than I have in the past decade. I've helped reunited families in the child welfare system, and I dipped my toes in the Atlantic Ocean for the the first time in my life.
All of this, though, has left little time or energy for writing. And any writing that has been accomplished has been journaling to keep my head on straight. I still have a slew of story ideas in my head, but they've been buried under the stress and strain of daily life. I come home from work and have nothing left.
Even my reading has suffered. (Don't shoot me!) I've read Dusty Delinquents twice, a few PA romance books, and Long Way Down by the Ritchie Sisters. Other than that, it's been child welfare referrals, self help books, and the ingredients on the cereal box. I must give a shout out to all the social workers who have been doing this for years. I truly do not know how you keep at it, because I am exhausted!
It was my hope 2017 would ring in a new year with a clearer mind, but I fear it is the opposite. I am now in the process of moving to a new apartment (gotta find one first) and deciding if the child welfare field is for me. It is my great hope that I will soon be able to sit at the computer and create stories for you all to read again, but for the time being I have to take care of Emily.
Glass half full--I think I have a plethora of new experiences to draw on. I already have new ideas floating around the back of my head as I fall asleep. I just need the time, energy, and the emotional stability to write somewhere other than in my journal.
Thanks for all those who've hung in there and helped me through. Special thanks to Jaci J's Crazy Bitches. Really, you ladies are my sanity.
Laters-
Emily
