Its occurred to me that no one is out there anymore. That I could be whispering (or screaming) into a void and there wouldn't even be an echo.
So let's just cut through the intervening (holy wow, its been nearly a YEAR) and say -
I just got back from India:
I spent three months there, doing various things (including sewing and knitting) but barely taking pictures. So that picture up there is just to ... you know, grab your interest. Although its really one of my pictures, and I really was there...
Three months is a very, very long time to be away. And since I've been back, I've been struggling to find a balance, a happy medium, between where I was and where I am now. Which is a situation most of us find ourselves in, from time to time. In this case, the intense contrast is like getting hit by a train - nothing subtle or gently revelatory about it. It's more like - BOOM! - wake up time.
Which is what brings me back here, to the blog. I was in a place like this:
(Someone lives behind that door.)
And I come home to the land of too much. Too much wool, too much fabric. And the contrast is paralyzing and stupefying and life altering, in so many ways. Rather than sit on my couch and be paralyzed, which is basically where I've been for the past month, I thought I'd do something about it.
I'm thinking (I can say this because no one is listening, right?) that maybe I'll try to work my way through things here. Literal things, not metaphorical things. As in, wade through the see of fiber, wool and cotton, stringlike or quiltable, that surround me. And maybe working through those physical, literal things will also help me work through the metaphorical, existential things that have been overwhelming me as well.
Some of us are still listening. Welcome back! I felt the same way you're feeling when I returned home from Indonesia. I am constantly trying to get rid of "stuff" that's taking up space in my life. To be entirely cliche, less is more.
Posted by: Yarndude | 20 February 2013 at 01:22 AM
"Simplify" is my word of the year. Lovely to "hear your voice" and see a door. Its a happy thing. Welcome back. Awareness of the contrast is healthy. And surely alarming.
Posted by: Laura | 20 February 2013 at 01:28 AM
I am still here, and I am still listening :) Welcome back!
Posted by: Sibylle | 20 February 2013 at 04:44 AM
I'm always here, even if I don't comment.
Posted by: Chery | 20 February 2013 at 07:17 AM
You are still on my Google Reader. It's nice to hear from you again. Knús og kossar.
Posted by: Sonja Richter | 20 February 2013 at 08:25 AM
The beauty of RSS means that your subscribers are notified when you post. I love your typo, "the see of fiber". Of course it's also the touch! Everything is connected. Be kind to yourself.
Posted by: Katie K | 20 February 2013 at 08:31 AM
It's good to have you back, my friend, and I look forward to catching up with you in person and hearing all about your travels. Yes, the contrast must be terribly jarring -- honestly, I can't imagine. But I hope you settle into a groove soon. xoxo
Posted by: regina | 20 February 2013 at 08:38 AM
Glad to have you back, what an adventure you've been on. Our consumerism must be overwhelming after a trip like this. I've been at home and am overwhelmed also and have discovered it's not making me happy. I need to pare down and live with less. It will be interesting to see how this works with my shopaholic husband! Welcome home.
Posted by: carolyn | 20 February 2013 at 08:59 AM
It's good to see you here again.
Posted by: naomi | 20 February 2013 at 09:25 AM
glad to see you here again. And your fotos are simply lovely.
Posted by: anj | 20 February 2013 at 10:31 AM
I'm still here, still listening, and very happy to see a post from you. :-)
Posted by: Tamara Lin | 20 February 2013 at 10:53 AM
Welcome back. I have missed your musings. I look forward to being inspired by the relections that you will share with us about your reawakening.
Posted by: Lise | 20 February 2013 at 11:26 AM
I'm always here. Google reader tells me when you post.
Posted by: Luísa | 20 February 2013 at 12:38 PM
Still here. Your voice has been missed.
Posted by: AnnP | 20 February 2013 at 03:16 PM
Google says that you have 634 subscribers so I shouldn't worry about talking to the wall. I imagine that the longer you leave it the harder it is to jump back in, do you pick up where you left off, try to pull together a summary, pick out the highlights or carry on as if you never left the room?
It was a pleasant surprise to see you back today and it can't have been easy.
Posted by: Caroline M | 20 February 2013 at 03:20 PM
Good to see you back. How I wish I could send certain people on a trip such as yours to gain perspective.
Looking forward to hearing more.
Posted by: S.Kate | 20 February 2013 at 05:20 PM
Hi hi. Looking forward to hearing more of you. Xoxo
Posted by: Bookish Wendy | 21 February 2013 at 07:03 AM
I'm happy to listen. Also, to caffeinate. Always. Any day.
Posted by: Meister | 22 February 2013 at 09:55 PM
welcome back!!!!
Posted by: Suzanne | 24 February 2013 at 05:14 PM
Very happy to read you again. Upheaval, internal or otherwise, does have a rather intense effect on one's ability to tell the story in a public way. But you've returned to your blog a full half year faster than I returned to mine! I'm looking forward to hearing your stories, my friend!
Posted by: Lee Ann | 25 February 2013 at 08:13 PM
Still here!!!
Posted by: jennifer moles | 25 February 2013 at 09:52 PM
You stayed in my RSS feeds, so here you are again! Welcome back!
Posted by: Wendy | 26 February 2013 at 04:16 PM
I am here as well and its good to hear that you are 'out there' yet. I am with you with the "too much" and am working my way through it. My fiber is boring me tho, or I have too many to make a choice to spin..not sure which.
Posted by: Val | 26 February 2013 at 07:03 PM
This is going to be very useful for me thank you very much for posting
Posted by: Nikki | 06 March 2013 at 06:30 AM