Greetings, readers and fellow writers.
Today, in lieu of a daily poem, I wanted to provide a candid update, as there have been a few changes lately and likely may be more in the coming weeks.
As you may have noticed, I have begun to post my daily writing again. I am so glad to be at a place in my life where I am able to do this, and I hope that you are enjoying the work. A lot has happened over the course of these past few years, and I am in no way the same person I was when I started this blog.
Admittedly, my consistency in posting and the quality thereof has had ups and downs, from diligent daily posts in the first year, filled with vulnerability and deep personal reflection, to long periods of silence and the occasional short piece with only a small window into my life revealed. I assure you this is not a product of disinterest or waning love for the people here. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of you all.
I cannot begin to tell you all how much this community has meant to me over the years. When I first started writing, I was very alone, hurt and confused, seeking anyone or anything to help me through a very difficult time in my life. I had so much to learn, so much work to do on myself, and the acceptance and love of this community really helped me to take the steps I needed to take towards where I am today.
That isn’t to say I am anywhere near having everything figured out! In fact, one of the biggest lessons I have learned is the importance of self-care, constant re-evaluation, and patience/gratitude along the way. I am always learning, always growing, and always seeking to be a better version of myself. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone here for the various roles you played, whether you simply read my work, whether you liked it or shared it, whether you commented or connected with me personally to collaborate or just talk. I love all of you so much; I have never forgotten any of you, and never will.
Now, for a few more updates…
Alongside returning to my daily post cadence, I have also begun to post daily readings of my prior pieces. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time, and started to work towards earlier this year, before the pandemic began and my mental and emotional health began to slip and I found myself in a state of severe depression. I am grateful to have navigated the year well, and I am feeling hopeful that I can continue to heal and that I can also continue to do these recordings going forward. I plan to select random or inspired pieces each day and record a reading of them to share here. If anyone has a request or a suggestion, please feel free to comment or let me know however works best for you. 😊
I plan to begin reading each of my daily posts going forward as well, starting tomorrow, December 21, 2020. I will also post a recording of a past piece each day. Hopefully, this will allow me to catch up and eventually capture each of the pieces in audio format as well.
I have been working a bit on my site, updating a few minor theme elements and adding/removing features. You may notice I have connected my Instagram account. When this began, anonymity was important to help me to feel comfortable with posting, but I am now at a place where I am ready to begin connecting the dots. I hope to get to know some of you better and make a more personal connection with those who might be interested. If I might throw a plug out there, if you really want to connect with me and chat, I am very active on the relatively under-the-radar social media platform Ablo, which I joined a few years back for its global reach and in-app translation capabilities. It has since grown to be an important support network and outlet for me. You can connect with me any time at https://ablo.live/s/5/xiAP_IdcEG3rnUa6q4urUg
I may be tweaking other elements of the site going forward. The site has evolved a bit over the years, but still reflects a different period of my life in many ways. I will work to bring my current self to the site as appropriate, while still retaining the existing ethos as much as possible.
Finally… You may notice that ads have been removed. I upgraded to a premium site earlier this year (mostly for a more shareable URL – objectsanddistance.com!) and neglected to change the ad settings. My apologies… Thanks to all who stuck with me through those disruptions.
Anyway, that is what I have for tonight. I am going to get some rest to make sure I am ready for this coming week.
Stay well, everyone.
-Andrew / Aurora
P.S. – I figured it was time to finally say hello to all of you “face-to-face”. This is actually a pretty big thing for me, and I wasn’t really sure up until this moment, but I think it is time. 😊
Objects, and the Distance Between Them 