A Fish Out of Water - I'm Diving Back In!

On this journey of mine, I've often encountered times where I've lost the motivation to write and, with it, the motivation to blog. On our transition from The Netherlands to Germany via Dubai, my blogging mojo seems to have been boxed and buried in the black hole that some refer to as a basement.

It really is a pity since, as some of you may know, I've put a fair amount of effort into establishing this blog, and "branding" myself. So when my domain name - www.ourwanderingfamily.com - expired, without my receiving any notification whatsoever from the provider (thanks, Google Apps!), I was devestated. Of course, it was promptly repurchased by someone else, and all of this happened within the course of a few days. As if to rub salt into my wounds, I discovered the new site is utterly, unforgiveably useless.

Amidst the chaos, I found myself pondering issues that I never thought I'd have to face, such as "How do I start over?" and "Is my blog any less valuable without the traffic?". There was also the question of whether people will continue to visit and enjoy my blog without the catchy address. But perhaps the most frustrating challenge I now face is how I can possibly redirect traffic from a site that now belongs to someone else, back to my site, which they originally intended on visiting. I'm assuming that's not possible, but would love to hear some suggestions!

A part of me misses blogging. My tranquil life on the farm was so conducive to writing and blogging, and here I find my time divided between carting the kids to and from Kindergarten; packing and unpacking lunches; cleaning house and trying desperately to keep up with the laundry; attending networking events and Tupperware- and Cleaning Supply parties in an effort to make friends quickly, with my dwindling "free time" divided between reading and "retail therapy" sessions at the Erlangen Arcaden.

Around 4 pm every afternoon it strikes me that I'm unhappy. Generally speaking I'm a big-cheesy-smile kind of gal, so when I find myself frowning for about three hours of every day, it concerns me in a do-I-need-to-call-a-therapist?!? kind of way. Then yesterday, it hit me like a ton of bricks. While I miss blogging, what my ever-wandering soul is really thirsting for is exploration.

I feel like a fish out of water. Try as I may (albeit on a subconcious level), there's no wishing gills into lungs. The universe is shouting, "Get back in the water!" and I plan on doing just that. Which is I've designated Wednesdays (just like in South Africa!) as "Walk in my Shoes" Wednesday.

Who knows where it will take us. Maybe I'll just wander aimlessly. Maybe I'll let myself get lost in the hills and villages of Franconia. Maybe I'll visit a castle. But you'll be right there with me. At least I hope you will. Consider this your official invitation!

I owe this to myself, and it's the only way I know of to reclaim my sanity. This frown has got to be turned upside down. As poet William Ernest Henley brilliantly wrote, "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." Yes, I will reclaim that wind for my sails. Bon voyage!