Oh snap, take a breath, crackle-pop. Damn, it’s been a deep wave-style breath hold since the last time I shared anything here. Admittedly, I’m finding space and relevancy in my work; not only to remain relevant to you, dear readers and travel connoisseurs, but also to myself.
We have come a long way since that first post in 2019 in which I thought this would be a space to share my marathon journal, then “all things healthy” then/and travel, and if you’ve been here awhile or perused about before finding this post then you already know Chickpeameatball is my old-shoe box collection of here and theres; holiday insperation, movie things, reading list, personal jounals, travel guides, a hodgepodge of all my love.
Together we have experienced Hawai’i to Colorado, bad sentance structures, a pandemic, road trips, camp elopment, grief, solo hiking 200 miles of Pacific Crest Trail, many kick-ass travel guides, Colorado back to Hawai’i, conservation work in the Amazon Rainforest (holy shit, what is my life!?) imposter syndrom, multiple-narrative voices, commitments and pivots, ChatGPT (yikes!) and honestly, that’s just a fine-tipped brush stroke of examples.
Through it all, we find each other. Through it all, we’re showing up together.
As I pursue other writing endeavors, I’ve considered ending Chickpeameatball, but that feels deeply misaligned. At this point, it’s grown into an extension of my experiences.
Looking back on older posts, I sometimes cringe. That voice doesn’t feel like mine anymore. What was important to me three years ago is not necessarily important to me now (this includes my writing style). I’ve always tried hard to fit into a box; I’ve discussed this here before. As a blogger, you want to follow the patterns of those who came before (most even sell “how-to” classes). In this way I didn’t fail. I wouldn’t be here today without a jumping-off point, a framework of inspiration on which I could pattern myself. However, the content that inspired me from the start is not the same today. And I am certain, that too will change five years from now. That is growth and development. That is something to celebrate.
I toy with this idea of starting over, a brand new place, a clean slate. That is stupid. I don’t need to start over from the beginning. I will continue to show up in this space. I will show up as the writer I am today, and as the writer I will be tomorrow. In whatever capacity, I hope you continue this journey with me. Most importantly, I hope you find something worth reading.
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