Where’d she go?
I realize it’s been almost three weeks since I posted. That probably shouldn’t bother me or anyone else at this point; though I do wish I hadn’t read all those best-blogging-practices articles before I started this blog. “Three posts per week plus three comments per week on other blogs” always sticks in my mind as the best goal.
Guess we know that’s not gonna happen.
The only difference between this break and others is: I didn’t preplan it – I just let it happen – or not happen.
What can I say:
Spring arrived unexpectedly in January this year so I’ve been outside more – landscape tending and just enjoying.
Been mulling a new book project.
Been indulging in a little traditional January evaluation of my life’s principal elements.
Deep? Nah – more like deep’s opposite this time: just being without discussion.
I’ve continued along on Twitter. Follow me there if you’re prone to dire imaginings when I don’t check in. But other than Griz and the cats, I think I’ve gotten most friends and family trained to tolerate my periodic vanishings. Haven’t I?
Even Griz and I have mutual consent for periodic unavailability. And the cats – well, cats are innately autonomous.* I sometimes think their dependency is primarily my perception.
Interestingly, I do value connection and I have learned the blogosphere is about as comfy a connection as you’ll find for us hermits. On the other hand, I tend to resist obligation (fabricated or otherwise); hence my discomfort with regular posting.
I know resistance to obligation is considered a form of pathology by some. But these days most nonconformities are considered pathological by someone; and I think acknowledging, accepting and balancing one’s insanities is the key to good mental health for most of us. So wacko or not, my little problem with obligation is not one of my life’s principal elements I plan to change anytime soon. It’s a part of why I value solitude – I can indulge it without bothering others most of the time.
After all, this is a blog from a hermit.
According to Lao Tzu: “A good traveller has no fixed plan & is not intent on arriving.”
I’ll be back soon.
*ASIDE FOR CAT LOVERS: I was always a dog person in the past. Our two semi-feral cats, Dodge (mother) and Dart (son) are the first cats with whom I’ve cohabited since my childhood. Now that I’ve become enamored of cats and started to pay attention, I realize defining cats as aloof and autonomous is a generalization. Cat personalities are as individualistic as human.
When I leave home for 24 hours or more, Dart, our wilder and more routinely-autonomous cat, celebrates my return with unabashed enthusiasm (very similar to the way dogs typically react). Dodge, the more “civilized” and astutely manipulative cat (some socialization as a kitten), greets my return with initial disdain. She then combines deep purring with intermittent growls and feigned nipping – clearly expressing her pleasure over my return, but simultaneously demonstrating her disapproval of my recent, offensive desertion.
I was always a “cat person”…had several at times. They DO have individual personalities, and I had one cat that would literally get sick if I were gone away on a short trip. They are very sensitive creatures, attuned to people’s moods — I had one that would come into my bedroom when I was sick, and wrap itself around my neck in a sign of comfort.
Now I still have 2 cats, but I have had 2 dogs for the past 3 years. It’s like a new world I’m discovering, relating to the dogs, so I’m always excited learning about their nature. Of course they are more “outgoing” but more protective as well. It’s always fascinating to discover an animal’s nature/world.
I didn’t thank you for your kind comments about my losing my mother, so let me say I appreciated your sympathy.
And ditto on your blog post regarding writing an entry when and if you are in the mood. Definitely understand.
Trish – To say “I understand,” seems so, so trite. Maybe I should just say, “I hear you.”