Dark Academia

 Sitting on school campus, once again, in this season of my life has offered me much inspiration as far as aesthetically pleasing settings goes. It’s raining outside, the first rainy and cold week of the autumn season is here. I am sitting in a warm campus library. Curled up in fuzzy socks, my favorite pair of lululemon tights and high top Nike dunks. Hair is long and flows down my plaid shirted back (thanks to new extensions). Glasses are on. Heart and mind are humming with inspiration.

 I am so lucky, to be here, learning with all these young students. I know some people probably quiver at the idea of rejoining college life at almost 40 years old. Whereas I love it and have craved it. All the traveling I’m doing, driving down state and back weekly, has afforded me time to listen to plenty of audiobooks and podcasts. I’m consuming audible media as fast as my ears can take me.

It's Halloween season. I’m sufficiently spooked. Is it mid-terms blues that has me melancholy? Approaching seasonal affective disorder? Is it the old tales of witches and spirits I’m listening to by day and horror movies consumed with my girlfriends by night, that has me chilled? It doesn’t matter because it suits the times. Nothing is really wrong in my life. I’m very satisfied and as per usual live the lifestyle of a spoiled housecat. Seeing my family down state on a regular basis has done my heart good. Being up to my brain in school work is exactly what I want to be surrounded by.

I write daily. I’m recording my podcasts and the download numbers keep going up every single week. I wonder how all these people are finding my podcast and I’m curious about what these strangers think about what they are hearing. To me, the audience of my blog, is an old friend and I can picture you even now as I type. But the podcast audience is still new to me. I just posted my 13th episode which is my lucky number as I’m sure you know.

My latest podcast episode coming out this week is about dreams. Nightmares still plague me so the topic is kismet. In fact, I had a nightmare last night. Roused me from my sleep at 1am and I staid awake and scared until 3 or 4am. That’s ok as my leisurely life allows me to sleep in when needed. Even so, a leisurely life doesn’t make up for the PTSD nightmares. A good life does not mean I have lack of hard times. Having wealth and safety does not mean the mental illness goes away. That’s what I’m always trying to convince people. It’s a full-time job staying out of depression and dodging panic attacks. However, I realize that  some others don’t have the pleasure of being sad or scared, because they have to work so much anyhow. I understand that.

Even so, my life is good and I’m not sorry about it. I’m proud of the life Eddie and I have created and the discomfort I’m putting myself through in order to go back to school. Leaving home every week makes me so sad and I do it anyways, for the both of us and for the people I will someday help as a social worker and therapist. Someday I won’t always be able to afford to sleep in and that’s fine too because life is only so long and I have so much to do.

How are you? What have you learned by leaving your comfort zone lately? What do you look forward to, as mundane or trivial is you think it may be? What do you study in your free time?



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