Writer's get into a funk - yep

I suppose an apology might be appropriate, but I don't think I'm going to apologize. I haven't written a blog post in a long, long time.  I am going to admit I'm human, and I haven't been writing. I haven't been writing at ALL in a while, and I was going through a funk.

I definitely suffer from depression, and I was in one of the worst funks in my life through the last two years.  There were several contributing factors: failed relationship where I felt incredibly hurt, betrayed, and confused; an illustrator who left in the middle of a project; finances; getting my daughter's health back to normal and getting her out of high school/into college. Last summer, I stayed in bed for 3 weeks in July.

I had some great successes in that two-year period: first children's book published, department chair at my school, recognition in my district for my hard work, happy daughter becoming a great adult.

After my illustrator quit, I "put my pen down."   I didn't want to write. I didn't have anything to say unless it was in response to political events on Facebook. While I knew that this period would end, I didn't realize how long it would take or how much frustration I bottled up.  I even missed writing an article for The Belly Dance Chronicles one quarter. I couldn't do it.

Writer's are human, and I suppose that the studies say (my Facebook feed articles, at least) that we are prone to more emotional distress. We are more fragile, etc.  Maybe it's really that people who tend to be more prone to deeply introverted tendencies, isolation, and emotional fragility happen to find writing is a suitable outlet.  Which came first: the writer or the depression? Funny, not funny.

It feels good to write again, and I'm grabbing with both hands every tool to help myself back to where I'm "Crazy Aunt Tess," as my nephew and niece call me. I want those grandiose highs with ridiculous idealism.  

I thank my daughter, family, dance troupe, fellow teachers, and writing group most of all. I love how they understand that lows beget highs and that I'll come around one way or another. I also want to thank other writers out there, especially The Bloggess, a brilliant, witty writer.

So, I'm off to write an article now.  Then I've got my third children's book to complete and my film script to revise. Good things, man. Good things.