It’s been a while…

Have you ever wondered why a fellow blogger suddenly stopped posting?  I have been blogging, fairly consistently, since 2015.  In that time many WordPress friends have dropped off the map.  Sometimes I knew the backstory – occasional deaths or mental health crises.  Other bloggers are overwhelmed with real life commitments and the toll that regular posting takes on your time.  The rest are a mystery but I surmise that boredom, change of lifestyle, or a desire to escape social media may play a part.

My extended break is for all of the reasons stated above.  Health has been a major factor; mine and others in my life.  Last Spring 2023, I fainted, knocked myself out and ended up in hospital for a few days.  My recovery was protracted with seemingly endless dizziness.  One of the many measures I took to combat this was to reduce one of my mental health medications, with my doctor’s knowledge.  This had an inevitable effect on me and my mood has been low for months.  In the past I would have tweaked or changed medication but I am reluctant to do that.

Another personal crisis preempted my disappearance from WordPress.  A dear friend, who had been battling Stage IV cancer for many years, entered into hospice care for the last six months of her life.  I wanted to be fully present and had no desire to write.  She is now at peace and I am glad I was able to spend time with her.

Teddy and I took some much-needed vacations during this time.  I introduced Teddy to my favorite place in Mexico in November with a short break to Merida in the Yucatan staying at a historic boutique hotel.  Teddy was entranced which made me so happy.  Oscar, a wonderful driver, who took us to the pyramid complex at Uxmal and a remote cenote.  We indulged in delicious Maya cuisine in local restaurants and walked for hours.

Above is a beautifully rounded pyramid at Uxmal and below is some detail from one of the temple buildings

Oscar, our driver, took us to an indigenous Maya village named Muna. There was no tourism and we just browsed the fascinating local market. I could not identify all of the unique produce.

It was such a fun break even though I wasn’t fully fit.  The heat bothered me and I was anxious at times.  This trip inspired us to go on another break to Mexico City in March.  That was unexpectedly wonderful.  Our glamorous hotel had a rooftop terrace, nouvelle Mexican cuisine, and a view of the Aztec plaza where Montezuma’s palace was.  Now we were immersed in the history of the Aztecs.

Teddy and I on the rooftop of our hotel with the backdrop of the Metropolitan Cathedral at sunset. This complex was Aztec at the time of the Spanish invasion and the cathedral was built with the existing stone. Behind the cathedral is the remains of Montezuma’s Palace with a fabulous stone serpent below.

We visited a zoo in Mexico City and it was a revelation. The enclosures were large and the animals seemed happy. I fell in love with a new animal to me – the maned wolf. It’s not really a wolf but a rare and endangered canid – look at those supermodel legs!

Finally, we prepared for a much-anticipated trip to Ireland to visit my aunt who is 94.  It had been five years since I saw my family from the old country.   A few days before our flight she fell and ended up in hospital.  Nothing was broken but she remained in this remote hospital for the week of our stay.  It was a strange trip.  We decided to stay in Dublin but travelled to the hospital each day, a round trip of 226 km.  Thankfully, she has made a marvelous recovery and is now at home.  In retrospect, it was serendipitous that the trip to Ireland happened at a time of crisis.

During my sabbatical, I did work on my website and deleted many old posts.  I am not sure if I want to continue posting or having a website but time will tell.  My isolation suited my mood but now I want to reconnect.

On the one day when the sun came out, we made a short stop at the town of Kells in Ireland. This old Celtic Cross caught my eye. The town was quite charming and we were glad to have a moment as tourists.