Where have you been?! Molly Weasley’s admonishing voice is ringing in my ear as I finally return to this blog, long abandoned in the days of yore. It is a grave injustice, a misdeed of far greater gravity than the one committed by the mischievous Weasley boys at the beginning of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. They stole their father’s car to rescue Harry from the miserable Dursleys; I left my digitized tome of tangled thoughts to wither away in internet purgatory…
Dramatics aside, I’m happy to be back in the blog verse. I must admit, however, that I feel beyond depleted of creative writing juices. Several times in the past month I have tried to type something meaningful, something authentic and fresh on this blog. But my attempts were full of dead-ends and cliches, and as the days wore on, it got that much easier to give up altogether.
Some brutal home quarantine workouts followed by some post-quarantine runs have, thankfully, given me perspective. Experienced athletes are taught to embrace the pain rather than drown it out during intense workouts and competitions; why shouldn’t the same go for writer’s block?
I’m filling this intimidating blank page with muddled thoughts and clumsy words in the hopes that they will eventually lead me back to the land where creativity flows, where freshly fallen snow has hundreds of names and evokes thousands of memories. Where a tough year away from family and friends reveals itself in joyful moments too; an overjoyed golden retriever bounding towards the New Hampshire woods, fireside chats with my brilliant and quirky kin; card games with my very own ace of spades during the long Slovak lockdown.
Though I haven’t written nearly as much as I should, I’ve read voraciously, exercised regularly, and baked incessantly. And I’ve thought quite often about something I’ve heard said numerous times before: We write to taste life twice.
Even though life has had a sharper bite as of late, I’d still like to walk back a few paces, chew on those scrumptious memories I’m fortunate to have made and figure out exactly where I abandoned that fireplace metaphor. I think there’s potential there, just as there is in a blog about pretty much nothing π
So, dear readers, stay healthy, keep positive and bear with me. I promise to do my very best to write more and bake less bagels, though a good portion of my joyful memories of this past year seem to involve them π
Until next time (aka. very soon, I swear)
Anna
Gobsmacked 
Hooray, glad you are back blogging, have missed them so much! Luv Mum x
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Thanks, Mumzo π
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Hey! You’re back! Wonderful! I love this line you wrote: “We write to taste life twice.” Yes, I wholeheartedly agree…It appears you are back and writing your blog once again, and for that, I am thankful…Thank you Anna and keep on writing for all of us out here in the blog-o-sphere…
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Thank you so much, Mark!! I can’t remember where I first heard that line, but it was around the time I changed my major to writing. It certainly had a profound impact π
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Yes! It’s nice to have you back. Are you back home now or still in Bratislava? I missed you the last time I returned. Would love to catch up at some point. Hope you and your family are well x Sending a lot of warm hugs! π
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Martina! So good to hear from you π Yes, I’m in Bratislava though I was able to visit my family in the US over the holidays. I would certainly love to share a virtual coffee with you sometime soon. Let’s arrange something!
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Definitely – I will be in touch. Would love that and very happy you had a chance to spend time with your family πβ¨
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BTW – love this -> ‘We write to taste life twice.’ – It’s so true. Keep on writing π
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Such a great quote, right?! Just wish I could remember where I first heard it π
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Yes definitely – Itβs a quote by the writer Anais Nin βπ»π
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