When Anniversaries Converge

Things have been....well, busy (like they never are busy), but it's been a real challenge, as several very key anniversaries have, well, hit me in the past the past month and a half.

(Well, that and seeing all sorts of nastiness spread about me on the Internet, but that's another kettle of fish entirely).

First, March marked seven years back in Chicago after living in St. Louis for....seven years. It's a weird kind of symmetry, having spent as much time on my "return" as I did in establishing a life. And in all honesty, I can't say that things are any better or worse....in St. Louis, it was all about settling into "my own" life. Learning how to be independent, apart from family, and being forced to survive on my wits. But back "home", there's a nice sense of familiarity and connection. Yes, there have been challenges, but at the very least, I don't feel alone.

Many others, like me, ride public transit and don't own cars. Several of us have learned to freelance and take work as it comes.

(Oh, and my freelance contract ended, starting the networking/application cha-cha-cha once again).

But May is....well, it's going to be a dual whammy. It's been almost one year since Dax passed away, and it's been a bit tough. On the one hand, the ten to fifteen minutes spent feeding her and giving her attention in the morning is now spent....waking up. At times, the apartment seems much more empty and lonely. (And Mom's cat Chucky is....well, he hides under the covers when I come over to visit. He's not very affectionate, and unlike Dax, isn't vocal at expressing his displeasure).

It's also the tenth anniversary of the blog (and yes, I messed up last year), and....I'm grateful for the chance to expand my writing. (Hopefully, some of it will be published - just waiting to hear news. I don't like spoilers). But it also means that working on items to be published will result in....well, procrastination on this blog.

This is a little self-indulgent, but quite honestly, it's an adjustment. I wish I could get a full-time well-paying gig writing (which would solve many of my problems), but in the interim, I'll just adjust to a slightly icky spring....which is much better than three months of an absolutely brutal winter.