It has been nearly four months since my last post. I kept on hoping that my fibromyalgia brain fog would evaporate SOON and I would be able to start reading more and be able to muster up the energy to write my usual short review roundups. However, the reading is hardly happening and the inclination and attention span to do the short reviews is non-existent. So I have finally decided to let myself formally announce that I am taking a blogging break this year. I have taken a break from my journaling and my Morning Pages this year as well. And I have taken a break from almost all professional book reviewing work. All my days are spent at the doctors or on the couch, when I am not running errands, doing household chores, or chivving and cajoling the family. Pain is my constant companion. It never forsakes me, even in the night. However, every few days, I do make myself go out and do fun things either by myself, with my family, or with friends. I draw so much energy from being around other people. As a result, social media remains as strong a force in my life as ever. And I continue to be so grateful to Zoom, Eventbrite, and other online video events that many organizations here in the US and abroad offer. I may never ever be able to go see these events or travel to these places in person, but at least I can see photos, videos, and live walks of places and people.
On another positive note, I have acquired a new hobby, or rather, I have expanded on an existing hobby: handwritten letters and postcards. I now send at least a handful of letters and/or postcards every week to people all over the world. I have always loved sending and receiving letters, ever since I started writing to my grandparents and my first penpal from at ten. I moved cities and countries, got jobs and got married, had children and had severe health issues, but through it all, I never stopped writing. Right now, my correspondence is at its highest, and through this hobby, I have made new local friends and new friends across the globe.