My hiatus from this blog is proof to me that this so-called “civilized life” is stifling to the creative mind. For me, anyway. I was shocked to check in on my site and realize that I hadn’t updated it since mid-July while I was still in Alaska. It’s been nearly 2 months and I haven’t had even an inkling of inspiration to try and write something on here, which is quite depressing. So here I am, complaining about it.
As always happens when I return from Alaska, my first couple weeks back in the lower-48 were overwhelming. I struggled to find a routine again, to feel comfortable in big, crowded places while being bombarded by multi-sensory stimuli, and at the same time facing the onslaught of emails pouring in, reminders of all my responsibilities… Finish your documentary. Meet with advisers. Prepare for classes. Organize trainings. Apply for this. Follow up on that. Book those tickets. Contact that person. Schedule meetings. Catch up with friends. Be social. And on and on and on.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my life in Oregon immensely. I was stoked to get back to my apartment where I could just walk to the grocery store and buy all my favorite foods again, cook in my own kitchen, drive my car wherever I want, peruse a thrift store, hang out with friends, and wear makeup and sundresses if I felt like it. But all of these things combined with all my responsibilities combined with all the distractions of the city took a while to adjust back into.
It’s now September though and I have certainly settled in, with albeit higher stress levels and anxieties than I had all summer in Alaska. The last couple months passed quickly by with little excitement to report on, besides a short road trip to southern California and many hours spent in the lab editing the documentary I’m finishing up.
I need to clear my head before school starts, so next weekend I’m taking a solo camping trip in the mountains. Just me, my car, and my tent. For all the wild things I’ve done in my life so far, sometimes I find it’s the not-so-wild ones that I’ve actually never done, like camping alone. You know how sometimes you just KNOW what it is you need, though? That’s how I feel about this camping trip. And I’m looking forward to it immensely.
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