Back to blogging

I’m on sabbatical this year. It will officially begin on Tuesday when classes normally start. I’ll be in a cabin somewhere, enjoying some me time. I’ve wanted to go to a cabin for ages. I just wanted to pack up all of my belongings and go, be at one with nature and all that. A few friends of mine have a Cape Cod Cabin and I’ve always loved it and say they have the best trips there. I thought about it and I really had no reason to wait, so I’ve booked a cabin for myself and I’m hoping it’s going to be a great trip away where I can rediscover myself whilst being surrounded by mother nature and her wildlife.

I’m trying to create as many rituals as possible during this year. I want to mark time as clearly as possible. Sabbatical is a fundamentally time-based unit, and to be mindful of time — the time it takes to get here, the time spent, the time remaining, the time savored — seems important to me.

One of those rituals, I’m hoping, will be getting back to blogging. I feel like blogging has experienced a series of rise-falls in my own imagination and the popular one, too. At first, it seemed exciting and accessible (anyone can read it! I can free myself of the shackles of academic prose!). Then it was indulgent (maybe we don’t need another one?). Then it was just plain too long (why write 500 words when you can get it out in a sentence?). And then there just wasn’t time (committees, dissertations, peer-review, editing a journal, running a grant, writing articles and books, and children, so many children). I felt like I didn’t have enough words in me or the time to find them. Since my previous blogging adventures, I know the industry has become quite competitive so I’ll also have to take on the role of website maintenance and search engine optimization too, or as industry professionals call it, SEO. That’s okay though and I’ve had a few tips from other bloggers who say I should visit here if I get a little stuck or need help when it comes to the technical stuff. Overall, I feel prepared and confident and I’m excited to get back into the swing of things.

The beauty of sabbatical is it gives you back time. And for me, right now, blogging feels like the right thing to do. To find some words, and meander into some mental recesses. Some people have really detailed work plans for sabbatical. Instead, I’m hoping to find something I haven’t thought of yet.