What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Well, we’ve just returned home after living in hotels since June 24th. I can’t say that life is back to normal because we are living in profoundly abnormal times. We are feeling a sense of relief that the damage to our house has been repaired. Our bedroom has a ceiling. We have a new bed to sleep in. At last I can make iced coffee without getting fully dressed and walking to the ice machine at the end of the hallway

Our attention now turns to what happens next: real life in all its forms. Catching up on what we have missed. Preparing for things to come.

I’ve been thinking a lot about whether this blog should continue or whether it is time to let it go. Honestly, I still don’t know. It isn’t merely the upheaval in my own life that caused me to stop writing. Social media has become much more difficult to navigate and it is harder and harder to sort the wheat from the chaff and find the kind of stories worth sharing here.

A bigger challenge: the overwhelming cruelty on the national stage sickens me. Watching it play out locally as social media trolls laugh at other people’s suffering is crushing. So many people, it seems, were just waiting for an invitation to be hateful. And selfish.

In the face of that it is hard for me to believe that I have anything meaningful to offer. I am not asking for kind words or reassurance. I am not fishing for compliments. Far from it. I want you to know that I find myself at a crossroads.

I may be able to sleep in my own bed but I don’t think that life will ever be back to normal. So what do I do with the abilities that I have to make a meaningful contribution?

If you have been wrestling with this question I’d love your feedback.

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