TLC

I was in Pennsylvania this weekend visiting my family (and Chewie, who is once again staying at "camp" while I work too much and prepare for an upcoming trip abroad). Camp is tough. All those baths and treats and cuddles really take their toll.

As much as I tease my parents about spoiling the dog, I admit this weekend I was looking for some TLC, too. Over the past month I've logged more hours in my office than I'd like to admit. There are only so many nights you can eat a burrito or takeout salad at your desk while editing a 400-page manuscript and writing emails until 11 PM before you start to feel very, very tired. This schedule has also left me disappointingly unprepared to run a half marathon this coming Sunday, my landlord is raising my rent, and a promising relationship has stalled. Cue the Debbie Downer trombone.

And so, I headed southwest to the Philadelphia suburbs, which still feels like home but has lately started to feel more like a second home, an escape. I saw green (well, the beginnings of green, as well as tiny crocuses and daffodils). I wore pajama pants and no makeup. I snuggled up on the couch with blankets and dogs, and dove happily into a book (Lit, by Mary Karr). I mostly ignored my iPhone. I met a friend and her two young children in Valley Forge Park, and we strolled in the warm sunlight of an early spring day while the kids ran around and climbed on trees.

It was a much-needed restorative weekend. I thought about how to find better balance in my regular routine, how to incorporate these important things: reading for fun, running, relaxing. When a friend emailed with the subject, "More Literary Dog!" I smiled and took a deep breath. I've yet to find a comfortable blogging rhythm, and still struggle with how much to share, but maybe I shouldn't worry so much and just start writing. Maybe taking the time to explore my own voice is TLC for myself.