Adieu

Thanks to COVID-19, the last two years have been…long.

Difficult.

Troubling.

Sad.

Frustrating.

But also…joyous.

Though the world has been embroiled in turmoil (that kind of rhymes, right?) since March of 2020, it hasn’t all been bad. I’ve gotten to spend more time with my SAM–I mean, it would have been difficult not to considering we were all told to STAY HOME! I’ve had more time to read, watch T.V., see movies, and pick up new hobbies–a failed attempt at a bookshelf nook insert, and a pretty successful go at cross-stitch. I had a blast with both! I’ve listened to and discovered more music. I’ve cooked and baked more. I’ve reached out more to friends via text and phone and DMs and email since I couldn’t see them in person as was usual before March 2020. I learned more about other cultures and started up an Among Us Geeks group on Twitter–it started as a dozen writers playing the game for stress relief and evolved into a much larger group of general geeks. The group has kind of gone quiet, but there is still a handful of us hardcore players still around. I’ve organized and cleaned more. I spent more time with my dog.

Also, did you know Mexico banned cosmetic companies from testing on animals? Portugal enacted mental health laws so employers can’t contact employees on days off. The Great Barrier Reef is making a comeback. An HIV vaccine passed phase 1 of human trials. Rhino numbers in Kenya increased. Giant Pandas are no longer an endangered species. A vaccine for malaria is now approved and could start saving lives very soon. Pandora (the world’s largest jewelry maker) moved from mined diamonds to lab-created diamonds. The Ozone layer is on a path to full recovery by 2050. Ten countries in the world are now getting 97-100% of their energy from renewable sources. A blood test to detect depression and bipolar might be possible soon.

The world isn’t an entire ball of shit.

After two years of a pandemic (that’s ongoing, don’t forget) I actually feel…hopeful.

Nothing will ever be the same and there will always be evil, ignorant people to go to battle with, but each day is a step closer to a softer, kinder, more understanding world. That makes me hopeful. Annoyed by the struggle, but pleased with the tiny steps in the right direction.

I pray you all feel hopeful as well.

My thoughts go out to all of you who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. Those of you who lost jobs. Became disenchanted with the world due to many people showing their true colors. Many people showed how vile they are, for sure. However, remember that a lot of us rose to the challenge. Be inspired by the tremendous amount of gentle, quiet good, not by the loud evil.

That’s my hope for all of us moving forward. Ignore the noise and keep making our tiny little steps towards hope and change.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, 2022 is going to be a new era for Chase Connor Books and me. I’m leaving my Young Adult life behind and moving to…something different. I have to say “farewell” to that part of my writer life and explore and grow and…take what comes. That’s what I need as a writer and a human being to feel that I am fulfilled–because I need to try all I can try and be all I can be before my days are done. I’m hopeful about this journey, too.

I’m so excited to go on this journey with all of you, so I’m starting now.

This will be my last blog post for 2021. I’m going to take the last few weeks of the year to get my shit together and get ready for the next chapter. I was kind of inspired by The Lion Fish Press to take a few weeks to myself.

I’m going to cook and bake and spend time with my SAM and read and watch movies and listen to music and clean and clear my head. I hope all of you have a chance in the next few weeks to do the same.

Honestly, I have no clue what 2022 is going to look like for this blog. Or my writing life in general. I have a general feeling of what I want, and I’m excited to see it magically happen, but I will be as surprised as you all might be when the new year comes.

So…let’s start the next leg of our journey.

Come on…

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase