Writer's Apprehension

Except for a few posts, 2015 was a bit of a dud year when it came to writing on Hoosier Happenings.  I had high hopes for 2016, being the bicentennial year of our collective Indiana home, but alas, we are well into March and nothing beyond my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year landed on HH.  Last month, someone from my elementary school found a post I had written about it a few years back and put it on our local "if you grew up in....you'll remember" FB page.  I looked at the stats today and it pushed February, 2016 into the top ranking of the most hits since I started HH in 2007.

Life is busy.  I'll blame it on that first.  By the middle of 2014, a full calendar of work began to create a backlog that continued to swell until the early part of 2015.  And even the brief time of "normal" was upended by an even greater backlog that I've only just now cleared the river for an even flow.  In 2014, I looked back and realized over a month of 8 hour work days went to non-profit efforts.  Since I needed to ratchet that back in 2016, I got by with just over two months of 8 hour days.  And 2016 saw the start of my new elected responsibilities, which was the only predictable allotment of time on my calendar.  By the middle of 2016, I realized I hadn't taken a single day off and thought to myself that I didn't leave my job with 4 weeks of vacation only to have a few days.  I think I managed to work in a week of vacation days last year.

I need to figure out a balance here.  I enjoy my work and responsibilities, and recognize God's blessed me, but I doubt that He intended me to work like a dog.  Quite sure of it actually.

Writer's block.  That's the other thing I'll blame it on.  Only I know that's not exactly true.  In fact, quite the opposite is true.  Instead, I would call it writer's apprehension.  The last year has provided enough fodder for a plethora of posts, but frankly I'm a bit apprehensive about sharing my thoughts on faith and politics.  Case in point-we Republicans created and deserve Donald Trump, and what's more disturbing is that more than half of evangelicals support him.  There's a dozen posts wrapped up in that statement alone....but I'd like see more civil discourse in 2016, so I find myself passing on a number of thoughts best kept to myself.  Just as a student of politics, I am fascinated with what is happening with our Grand Old Party.....if it truly even exists anymore.  I am more concerned about the future of the church.

So, I will attempt to get back on a blogging schedule for the few of you who land on this site.  I have always enjoyed delving into our history and culture as Hoosiers, and into our politics and issues of faith as an exploration of who we are and maybe who we should ascribe to be.