Because I obviously went missing.

Life does that to you. One minute you are full of dedication and enthusiasm for a cause or task and then next you are dragged away to take care of something more immediate and pressing. Careers get in the way of our hobbies and responsibilities to others encroach on our “me time.”

This month, the month of my birth, I am taking back my time. Never one to toot my own horn (and very likely to just give my horn to someone else completely) I generally don’t put myself, my needs, or my accomplishments ahead of others. But maybe that’s a huge reason why my self esteem is lying in a crumpled heap in a dark corner? Perhaps in order for others to value my existence and contribution to the planet as a whole, I need to first value myself.

Don’t look at me that way.

Work just kicked my ass hard. I spent all of August and most of September in a flare up of either Rheumatoid Arthritis or Fibromyalgia (no one really knows) and it sucked. We put in long hours with all the stress and all the physical labor. Stress, lifting, little to no sleep, long exhausting hours? No wonder I was in a flare. But that all came to a close at the end of September and now life can return to a normal rhythm. I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to reset my entire self. Celebrate my birth month, treat myself to the little things I enjoy, relax, partake in my hobbies, run and take photos!

And I’m doing just that.