Resurface, Reboot and Relocate

There was nothing left to say. 

Nothing remotely interesting  happening to write about. 

Not passionate about any one thing enough to write about it.

That's the reason why there is this big gap in time since the last post. Nearly a year. 

In that time, I've continued to lead classes at the Washington English Center. I was selected to be a volunteer at the National Museum of African American History and Culture opening in September. I'm hoping maybe the experience there will inspire me to write again. I've been working as a contractor, writing  and editing abstracts for an industry newsletter that's published at 9 am. I've mostly stopped posting on FaceBook, unless something truly moving, surprising, stunning or just plain joyful happens and I can't resist sharing. I get up every weekday morning before 4:30 to start work. I try to go to bed early,  but mostly do not succeed and I still resent not being able to stay up until the wee hours of the morning. I am taking baby steps toward hiring a personal trainer—again.

How Every Evening Should Begin

I've binged on way too many TV series ("House of Cards" and "Scandal" and "Narcos" and I'm sure a few more"). I did a little landscaping on the sides of the driveway because I could not stand to be here everyday and look out the window and not see beauty.  I cook meals from scratch and make regular trips to the farmers' market. I scratched Key West off my list of dream destinations and planning more than one-week of vacation this year.

The next one will not involve scary bridges like the ones connecting the Keys to the rest of Florida.

Now I am just feeling a little sad about the changes going on around me.

I've become out of place in the neighborhood where I've lived for 20 years. It has gradually turned into the new trendy home of too many millennials—many with dogs and offspring, or both.

The next-door neighbors have moved to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and their house remains empty—intentionally, as they wait for another unit on the market to sell.

Our once secret gated community is now almost completely boxed in by newly constructed apartment buildings, filling up with the aforementioned millennials. The new trolley finally opened after two years of testing, a Starbucks and a Whole Foods are under construction just a few blocks east.  The market value of my house is high. The neighborhood is humming. And I'm not feeling at home here anymore. 

Next life challenge: where to relocate.