Why do we write? A chorus erupts. Because we cannot simply live.

Patti Smith – Devotion (Why I Write)

You don’t need me to tell you 2020 was an unsettling year of upheaval, change, and so many unknowns. I had the amazing privilege to stay mostly hunkered down at home with my husband and son and our new puppy. We all stayed healthy. We got through the myriad of ups and downs of living through a pandemic with laughter and tears and joy and togetherness. And I burrowed deeply into this, an introvert easily comfortable with the world’s directive to stay home.

In the beginning of that year, I took down all my work on this blog. I can’t tell you if it was before or after the shutdown – or if I did it because I was frustrated with my lack of writing or embarrassed by discussing minimalism and veganism, which seemed like unimportant talking points during a global pandemic. My website sat vacant, a closeup image of a vegan chocolate pie, espresso beans and shaved chocolate gracing the smooth rich top, its nutty pressed crust tempting you to bite it. And below, the words “Recent Posts” and a line organizing a list of nothing.

In the last part of 2020, I began taking writing classes again, this time over zoom with a group that I had previously met with here on Queen Anne. It’s because of this class that I have been diving back into the world of creativity and writing and loving finding my home again in this space. Writing is a major part of who I am. It is so important to me. I am so happy when I make time to write and revise and revise some more.

And now my country is quickly opening back up, and although I am hesitant to do so in real life, I am exploring my willingness to open back up in my own way. I’m rereading those old posts that were hidden. I am going to slowly bring them back, to let them breathe here again, because although they may have their flaws, they are part of my experience.  I am still intrigued by minimalism, I still feel passionate about being a vegan, and my love for writing endures. I hope to continue to feel brave enough to share all those things here again.