It’s been a while! Summer is winding down and autumn is stomping in, all boots and scarves, and I am THRILLED. Summer’s a difficult season for me for a number of reasons. I’m not a fan of the heat. I hate sensible summer footwear. I like layers. My wardrobe kind of speaks for itself… And, most significantly for this post, it’s very difficult for me to get work done during school holidays.
All of August had me dreaming of solitude and escape: not for relaxation, but to blissfully lose myself in my work with nothing to distract me.
Every once in a while, I get a day where my time and my schedule are completely my own to dictate and these days are such a treasure for me. It’s miraculous how much my brain is willing to do when I remove all my other concerns and responsibilities from the equation. I crave these moments.
And this got me thinking…
And that got me googling.
Where could I go for solitude that wouldn’t require me to clean and cook for myself? Somehow my brain settled on the idea of a (solo) transatlantic cruise to work on my dissertation. Once the idea took hold, nothing would rattle it free. This is a comic about that idea and what happens when one, unable to make a decision, asks for a sign…
So the question is: is it only a sign if you get the response you want? Hmm… (I did not book the cruise but I’m still thinking it over.)
In other news, I’ve just finished up ten pages of comics about our holiday in Ireland and will be cleaning those up to post soon. Next post will be a long one - stay tuned! There’s food and friends, wrong-side-driving, and a meltdown or two.
(Last semi-related note: earlier this year I read “A Book of Silence” by Sara Maitland and I have not been able to shake a craving for a deeper experience of both solitude and silence since then. I highly recommend this book.)