Last month it was Los Angeles…now it’s the world  🙁

For years, writing (well, and sleeping)  has been my refuge. Since 2016, this blog has been a space where I could process the world, share my thoughts and crazy ideas, and connect with others who were looking for inspiration, entertainment, or just a little escape (or adventure!) from their daily lives. But ever since the new administration took over, keeping up with the blog has felt like just one thing too many on my already overloaded mind.

I admit, I am addicted to the endless news cycle. It’s hard to turn it off for even a moment cuz when I do, I return to something even worse than there was before.

I used to sit down to write with a pretty clear mind, and if it wasn’t clear, I knew I could blah blah blah it all out here and someone would hear it. That clarity now feels like a distant memory. Has it really only been six weeks?

Relentless political chaos, deepening social divides, and an ever-present sense of global instability (aka FEAR) has made it difficult to focus, let alone write.

Anytime something really impactful happens in the world – natural disasters, health crises, human tragedies, uprisings…I struggle with how/what to write when it feels like the country is coming apart at the seams. How do I write about going to the palace or having kalguksu with a friend when there are far more important things going on out there??

I think “I don’t want to be political on the blog,” but…everything is political. Not just “politics.” The clothes you wear, your hairstyle, body art, the car you drive, the breed of dog you have, the sports you watch, the countries you visit, the community you live in, the books you read…the list goes on.

If you knew nothing else about me, had never read the blog before, just knowing that I came to Korea to study a new language – a stranger could easily guess what party I identify with. So everything I do, everything I say and write, comes from that perspective.

So…I want to come back and resume posting. It’s always hard to make that first post back after a lengthy recess. And I felt I needed to explain what has been dominating my time and mental energy these past weeks.

I had struggled a few weeks back when we did the Valentine’s Day post – was it really…appropriate at the moment?? But my Where Bloggers Live friends assured me that even during difficult times, writing still matters. Even at the worst moments, reading other people’s stories remind us that we are not alone, that others see what we see, feel what we feel, and are fighting to make sense of it all, just as we are.

So, I’m still here. I am, indeed, still going to palaces and tea houses and having Korean barbecue with friends (and yes, in Korea, they do call it Korean barbecue). Maybe I won’t post as often as I had been. But I’m still trying. And if you’re reading this, I know you are too.

As filled as my (and I’m sure all of our) brain (and heart!) is these days with everything that’s going on, there is still space for words, for stories, for pictures, for connection. So stay tuned…

Be well, my friends xoxo

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