Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Final Reflections on May 2014

May was a surprisingly difficult month, as I dealt with a significant amount of depression. The depression struck out of the blue, in the lead-up to Mother’s Day. As I’ve said before, grief is unpredictable, more like slow waves crashing on the shore than anything else. One year, Mother’s Day is no big deal. The next, I really miss my mom. It’s difficult, but I suppose that’s just how it goes.

I tried my best to power through, to not get sucked in too deep. It was a relief once the day had finally passed, and I didn’t have to see stuff about it constantly on the Internet and TV anymore, a reprieve for another year. Most of the depression lifted once it was over, although I’m still having bad days here and there.

Toward the end of the month, I finally completed the novel revisions that I’d been working on. I still have an extra chapter to write, with a firm deadline of June 12 (the start of World Cup). I also started kicking around an idea for a new story, a young adult novel this time. It’s an idea that literally came to me in a dream. I haven’t done much work on it yet but I’m really excited about it. I feel like it’s a story that could go somewhere.

Other than that, I succeeded in becoming less of a hermit. I visited several local attractions, some of which you can read about by searching the “out and about” tag on this blog. I did a little bit of hiking. I found some volunteer work that I enjoy, cleaning up local beaches. I’ve been meeting more people. And I got to see my soccer team play when they rolled through town.

All in all, it was a decent month, one that I’d probably feel better about if I’d done more writing and editing. I don’t anticipate getting much of that done now that World Cup is only a week and a half away, but who knows, perhaps I’ll get inspired. 

So that’s May 2014 in a nutshell. If you’re stopping by to read, why don’t you tell me how the month went for you?

2 comments:

Patricia said...

I love that you haven't lived in Portland for many years, but the Timbers are still "your" team.

Sorry about the depression. I'm glad it passed. And I'm glad you have the World Cup to look forward to. It's been getting a fair amount of coverage on NPR. That's been a change in my lifetime. The first time I ever heard about the World Cup was when it was in the USA in the 90s. But now I always know when it's going on, thanks to increased media coverage.

My May went by in a flash. I wrote a lot and spent time feeling helpless about the state of my yard. I look forward to the end of school (the day after the beginning of the World Cup) and more good weather.

balyien said...

Well, that's why I say "Rose City Till I Die"! They'll always be my team. :)

Soccer coverage has definitely changed in the U.S., especially in the last five years or so. More games are getting shown on channels like ESPN, NBC, and FOX. Also, some big-name European players are headed to our league in the next few years, so I anticipate that its popularity is only going to grow. I'm excited!

Only a week and a half more and you'll get to enjoy some freedom for a while!