Happy Fall, everyone and welcome, new subscribers!
What a summer it has been. I hope you had a good one.
I missed you all, but sometimes, life gets in the way of everything, even writing. I’ve taken the longest online writing break of the last three years to do… well, life.
This year swept me off my feet with its many changes and challenges, throwing life lessons at me so rapidly I could barely catch my breath. I can’t wait to share them all with you as soon as I’m back to normal. A new normal that is.
Spoiler alert: next week, I’ll find myself on a plane yet again, relocating to a new (but old) country. Tune in next week for more details and (possible) cries for help. Until then, send happy thoughts my way. And a few bottles of wine!
Here are just a few things that made me very happy this summer:
A kind Turkish neighbor who spoke no Enlgish but brought us dinners and smiles.
My daughter befriending a Turkish boy next door, without shared language but a shared courtyard.
That shared court yard that faciliated interaction among all neighbors.
Tiny bits of stability. Even for a week. Even for a few days.
My writing desk.
The ease of conversations with strangers in America.
My kind Russian friends in London who fed me and my daughter and gave us socks when we needed them.
Frankly, the lsit is endless. And so much of it revolves around a sense of communnity that is so cherished in Scandinavia but often forgotten in individualistic America. But more (and so much more) on that later.
So, reader, go say hello to your neighbor and I’ll see you next week!
I also find myself increasingly grateful for the ease of American small talk and conversation. I think I was sometimes annoyed by it when I lived stateside, but now, I love it so much.
Best of luck to you in all that’s happening and in what I’m sure will be an exciting, wonderful move! Looking forward to hearing all about it!