September check-in

It's been a busy end to summer.

I don't talk a lot about mom stuff here, but with the start of the school year, a lot of my energy's been centered on my kids. They're six now, wild-hearted and rocket-fueled.

Generally, I've accepted that the last few years (and likely the next few) wouldn't be a peak creative chapter for me. Of course, a big part of that is...reality. I'm exhausted by day jobs (which I know I'm not alone in). I did cleaning work this summer and now I'm back in food service, both of which get more draining every year. But I'm used to working, so even that isn't much of a hurdle.

My biggest roadblock when I sit to write is reckoning with my relationship to folk magic and what's happening (/intensifying) locally.

I'm the first person to tell friends to rest. I hate hustle culture. But it also feels disingenuous to frame myself as a voice on healing work or justice work or any other core aspects of an Appalachian practice if I'm not consistently choosing to prioritize those things myself.

And honestly, I want those experiences to shape what I eventually create, not the other way around. So in that way, I'm grateful.