Rest and Recharge.

Okay, so I didn’t mean to disappear for three months. I was busy in August working on a personal project. I had planned to return in September, but that obviously didn’t happen. They say that it’s easier to fall out of a routine than to enter one, but isn’t falling out of a routine simply entering a new one? True, it may not be as productive, but it is a routine nonetheless.

Maybe I just needed the mental rest? Unfortunately, a lot of things fell by the wayside the last few months. Honestly, I felt like I was doing the bare minimum and had no room for much else. I wasn’t even writing creatively. I only worked out a handful of times. It all just kind of stopped. I knew in the back of my mind that I had an audience to write to, but the motivation wasn’t there. And really, I think that’s okay. We all need an extended rest every now and then.

I’m feeling a lot better, like I’m ready to start getting back into the routine of things and pick up those activities I set aside. I’ll probably start slow and not jump into a three-a-week posting like I did before, but I will be writing and posting again.

So what have I been up to?

Reading. Lot’s and lots of reading.

Between August and now, I read 79 books, some of them at least twice. Reading is one major way I recharge. Because of all the books I’ve read, I’ll probably pick a few and share those in my reading review post. So there’s at least one post in the future somewhat planned!

Crunchyroll!

If you don’t know what Crunchyroll is, it’s an anime streaming service. We’ve talked about signing up for it for a while and we finally did it! I’ve reviewed a few mangas in the past, but I also really enjoy watching anime. I’m sure that’s not surprising news to anyone. So yeah, I’ve been binge watching a lot of anime that was previously unavailable to me.

Theorizing.

So Isbe was watching Encanto the other day and I realized that the cracks in Casita reflect the state of Mirabel’s heart. The first time we see Casita visibly crack is when Mirabel admits she’s not okay. Then we find out there were cracks hidden away the whole time. The next time Casita visibly cracks is after Mirabel finds the prophecy and her heart breaks because she could be the source of her family losing their gifts. When Casita completely crumbles, it’s after Mirabel’s fight with Abuela, reflecting Mirabel’s regret and pain over the fight. Casita only comes back to life after her family tells Mirabel, “We see you. We accept you. We love you.”

The other thing I theorized about was Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I’ve come to realize that while she may be annoying and pushy, she was most likely an extrovert suffering from anxiety. I mean she has five daughters she needs to find marriages for preferably before something happens to her husband. She has no sons she can rely upon if Mr. Bennet dies. In contrast, Mr. Darcy is an introvert so it would stand to reason that repeated exposure to such an extroverted outsider would become unbearable. You might wonder how I came to this conclusion. Well, the foundation was set when I realized that I would be one of those fictional mothers whose kids would roll their eyes and say, “Mother and her nerves.” Somehow the dots connected in the early morning hours to Mrs. Bennet suffers from anxiety. So…yeah.

Spending Time with Friends.

Believe it or not, I’ve actually willingly left the house to spend days out in public with friends. Not just once, either, but a few times. I had a lot of fun going shopping with friends again. I’ve done that more times in the last few months than I think I’ve done in the last few years. I may need a week to recover for one day, but I’m looking forward to more days out with my girls. Good thing I need to do some Christmas shopping, right?

So yeah, I took a few months to rest and recharge without meaning to, but it was probably exactly what I needed. I think it did me some good and hopefully that’ll reflect from here on out. I’m looking forward to connecting with you all again, as well as meeting new readers! I’m signing off for now!

Happy Holidays!!

Have a Happy Monday!!!