Hello & Welcome - From My Writing Nook

Current view from Tilda Cafe, Arnprior, Ontario. 

Well hey there lovely-ones,

Guess who decided to start writing again? This human. 

It's been awhile. At least since November 2023.

I participated in the last couple of years of NaNoWriMo, where writers strive to reach 50,000 words written during the month of November each year. And,  I'm kinda sad to admit that it's the only month of the year I actually honoured one of my happy places: sitting in a cafe, latte nearby, headphones on, channelling Spotify playlists into my ears, creating a soundscape that, oftentimes, informed my writing. 

I'll be transparent: my mental health is taking a beating from the daily doom-scrolling of the internet/social media et al. America is a bigger shit-show than usual (my heart goes out to those Americans also WTF'ing at the state of their country right now). There seems to be a fair amount of people being twats to others online and, when it's not news/current affairs, it's a feed filled with people using their social media accounts like a mirror they can't tear themselves away from. 

It's....a lot. 

If it sounds like this is going to be a ranty kind of nook, don't worry...it's going to be the opposite. As much as I can make it so, that is. I want and need this to be a place that is replenishing. A respite. A small corner of the internet that feels good to be, where there is enough oxygen, so to speak, to pause and take a breath and remember good things too. 

While I tell you this, I'm saying this to myself also. I long for space where information isn't flying at me from all angles.

A more analogue kind of existence.

Where things slow down.

Books are picked up and read.

Walking around the neighbourhood and picking up a scent-trail of someone cooking dinner wafting out of their window, as you pass it by. 

Putting on a record, filling the space with it's music. 

Dancing. 

Being WITH people instead of one eye on the ever-chirpy smartphone. 

Exploring with no particular destination.

Roadtrips. 

Stepping out of the shower and taking the time to apply lotions, creams, scent. 

The need to slow down and be in the moment is a big reason I started making my own candles in 2019. The ritual of lighting a candle and reading or writing has always been a comforting thing for me. Making them fulfils a creative need. It tapped into a part of me I had missed for a long time and bought back a little bit of peace and much-needed space of my own.

Anyway, welcome to my little blog, my little nook-inside-the-internet. The irony of my babbling on about craving more 'analogue/less internet' in an online blog doesn't escape me. 

I'm happy you're here. 

- Tina