I hope you’re all still with me after my absence and sporadic updates previous to my time away. I’ve returned home and should be updating more consistently again, if all goes according to plan. I don’t have a lot to offer today, writing-wise, but it feels important to me to return to this space even though this entry will be brief.

I’ve been away for ten days on what was, for me, the trip of a lifetime. I was in Denmark, connecting with distant family and visiting places that were the homes of my great-grandparents before they came to Canada. It was my first time travelling by myself and only my second time in Europe. It was also my first time in Denmark, unless I count a single overnight stay almost 15 years ago (which I’m not).

This trip was impactful for me on many levels and in many ways, which I’m very much still processing and I expect to be processing it for some time. I don’t know how much my experiences will directly influence my writing, but the good news for my writing is that I think it’s had some of the refreshing effect I’d been hoping for. Despite my exhaustion and jet lag, my brain has found it’s way through the next set of tangles in my novel rewrites and I started them yesterday. I’m feeling more motivated in general and have spent a surprising amount of time since I got home cleaning and organizing, despite having told myself my only responsibilities this weekend were to sleep and play video games.

I’m going to take that motivation and do some more editing now. Two consecutive days is more than I think I’ve managed in months, so I feel good about that. Here’s to returning home, and to good things to come.