New Beginnings

 

Hello friends. It's been awhile hasn't it? I have come back to this space many times over the months. I have even written a few blog posts but never published them. I don't know why. Something just felt like it was missing, my authentic voice most likely. 

When I pulled  my camera out yesterday, I realized I had not taken a photo with it since April and even then, very few. That is one of the clearest signs of how life is affecting me. In a typical year I would take thousands of photos. In 2020 and 2021 so far it's been very minimal. So here I share with you random photos of various times with no specific relevance and a promise to myself to get back to seeing the beauty of the world through my lens.

By now I imagine we've all heard the term languishing in reference to the current state of the world and it's effect on our psyches.  If not here is an article you might like to read on the subject. I'd say it's a pretty accurate description of what I've been going through. I've touched on the subject of being a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) before I think, but when you combine that with being an empath, it really is an overwhelming state of affairs that requires me to turn inwards. I mean I have no choice. It's survival. I shrink my world and go into recovery mode. I've been like this always but it wasn't until the past several years that I started to understand why. When this overwhelm happens, I avoid the news, social media and all the opinions of all of the people. I pick up my knitting needles, put on something cozy and lose myself in the quiet, stitch by stitch, needles lulling me into peace with their repetitive, rhythmic music. That is where I do the recovering. 

There is no need to worry though. Life is good here. There have been some challenges but I am healthy and happy and regaining some things I've lost along the way. The last several months have been filled with friends, family, travel and new experiences. Also, old experiences that felt like new experiences after a long hiatus.  I have cherished each of them even as I felt a bit overwhelmed by some of them. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by saying yes to many things. There was a cross country road trip with my best friend for an art retreat, a week at the beach, a long weekend with our couples friends in TN, many gatherings, dinners out, celebrations, a new job for my sweetie and so many other things.

Through this time there was always an underlying feeling of storing up memories for whatever might come next. And sadly it would appear my intuition paid off there...I have learned more than ever to trust my instincts this past year. I'm growing into my super powers.

Now after months of saying yes, I am ready to shift my priorities again and be more selective with my days. A new season is coming and I plan to embrace it by slowing down and being more still, with a heart full of happy memories stored up from the last several months. In a time that can be difficult to do so, I'm looking forward to what happens next.