Veteran bloggers, I don’t know how you do it. Seriously, what is your secret? Is there a special coffee, or a motivational book that keeps you writing with the regularity of Metamucil? I find myself returning from yet another long absence on this blog. I have not been inactive. Other projects have consumed my time (more updates on those later!), as well as many life developments: buying a house; new work contracts; travel. But there have been as many distractions and pits of deep despair that prevent me from writing, especially concerning the hateful direction my country, the USA, is taking.

I had always been taught that good prevails, that there is light even in darkness, and that comeuppance is a real tool of fate. My observance since November 2016 has convinced me this isn’t true and that I have been naive. But it’s taken the past two years for reality to set in, in a sense. Maybe it’s just everything that’s happened. There’s a low-key rage that never dissolves within me these days, and a fear for myself and my friends, particularly the women in my life. Has anyone ever believed or respected us? I’m shocked at the level of ignorance on display in every public forum. Even amidst all my personal achievements and successes, there is a pallor cast on this moment that makes art feel like a very futile and selfish gesture.

It is with that caution and caveat that I return to The Wordsy. I have doubts about what I’m doing. I have doubts about my future. Fear, too. Heck, I experience 3/4 of an emotion wheel pretty much daily. But what can one do?

Thank you, Readers, for always making this a safe and accepting space. Thank you to the larger online writing community for their continued warmth and encouragement.