I don’t usually do a yearly wrap-up because by the time Christmas comes and goes, my head is all over the place. Also, who actually reads them?
But given that my blog ahs been a little quiet, I want to do a miniature post on where I am, and what the silence has meant.
I am home, with a tender ankle and in pain (this second item is not new, but you know, worth mentioning). Awaiting a formal diagnosis of a connective tissue disorder that was a journey I thought had been done and over but that somehow came back to haunt me in December.
In November, I slipped badly. And I don’t mean literally, but in a figurative sense. I was forgetting to eat due to overworking and wanting to achieve it all, keep a blog, keep a personality online, stream, art and you know, actually have a work life balance and on top of that with a chronic illness.
And that is when life hits you square on in the face and tells you some things have to give. In my case, I became quieter online, dropped a few streams. Took a week off work and drove around the country to try to actually disconnect and you know, do something else other than be anxious and worry.
And what I have been doing? Reading (there are new reviews to come, I found some cute new books, some interesting mangas, great novels I owe reviews to publishers for sending and also new novels I have discovered by just browsing in bookshops or online or through the recommendation of friends), watching TV (somehow made my way through Dark, Wednesday, several films, and two seasons of Food Wars) and causing chaos around me, but also, sleeping in, taking a lot of naps (chronic illness makes you tired, very tired), cooking food and trying to go out for walks.
It has been a slower season, one where I admit I don’t have everything figured out, but I am slowly trying to figure it out and to get used to things.
I didn’t make my 150 books read in 2022 challenge, I came short. I read between 120-130 books, which is not bad anyway, but it was not what I had challenged myself to do.
But I did build a new PC, became a British citizen and fgot myself a pretty new walking stick.
So today, I am here, writing this and hoping this year brings a lot more reading, a lot more books, and a lot more goods things, a better balance and a slower season, a pace that suits my body a little better, rather than pushing it too much.