Cobwebs are an understatement for the length of time it took to turn a new page here. It’s been 1 year and 7 months since we stepped back into the house, and in that period of time there was too much chaos to make time for writing or publishing. The environment we lived in was the worst for any creative individual, so I gave myself grace and kept silent until it was time to move back.

Lo and behold, chaos didn’t stop when we finally moved back. There was so much cleaning out, throwing out, moving out, moving back in that I just didn’t have the capacity to sit and put words into white space. At one point, I found myself falling asleep on the dining table in the middle of work work. 

A month has gone by, and I feel the dust has finally settled. A routine is in place and life back at home has become predictable and manageable. And so I return to my most precious space to sweep away the cobwebs again, and write the stories of my life.

We’re currently a household of five humans, four canines, and three felines. The five humans include:

• Myself, Stef, 34
• J, 36
• H, 14
• C, 12
• N, 10

The four canines:

• Sappho, 11
• Scarlet, 8
• Brooklyn, 4
• Windy, 4

Finally, the three felines:

• Jelly, 3 (based on night she adopted us)
• Norbert, 3
• Fleur 🌹 1

I have space in my heart for goldfish, but J refuses to let me try the hobby again. 

The kids leave the house for school at 7 in the morning, and J heads to the store to open shop and run the family business.

I stay home as I work remotely and because we have two household helpers doing the cooking and cleaning while I work. 

The three dogs, Sappho, Windy, and Brooklyn sleep at my feet with the fan blasting air into their thick-coated faces. They step out into the artificial turf to do their business 2-3 times a day. Scarlet has full reign over the surrounding space within the four walls of the house. The cats go about as they please, but remain secured inside. The last thing I need is casualties while I’m still filling the house with its missing pieces.

H returns home between 4-5 PM, while C and N have Taekwondo practice at the local gym near their school. J and the two return home after 8 PM. 

Although my household routine is in place, I still have my professional and creative routines to re-establish. That’ll be for the next blog post, but just the fact that I managed to post this reflection means I’m getting closer to some semblance of normalcy. I’ve pulled up my old copy of Scrivener, and intend to do my writing here so my ₱3K investment from 20-20 something doesn’t go to waste.

Reader, if you’ve reached this far, thank you. Know that I’m grateful you’ve stuck around to see what’s been going on. Know that my style of writing prose, or the topics that may ensue from this first attempt, may or may not change, and that you’re more than welcome to either connect or leave as you see fit. I’m 34, tired, have read less than when I had less on my plate, and still finding my way. But I intend to slowly but surely break my hiatus to rekindle my love for words and creativity. I look forward to sharing what that’s like here. ❤️