Facing the reality that this will only be the fifth post I’ve written here in all of 2021 was a bit of a shock and, at the same time, the obvious answer. Writing is self-care for me, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t been taking all that great care of myself during this global clusterfuck we are all living through. My focus has been on doing what I can to keep those around me comfortable, sane, and COVID negative through all of this. I have been writing a bit on the site I set up at school. Writing about the semester’s fun I’ve had and taking my students into the Metaverse to expose them to all the hype. There has also been plenty of chicken scratch in my journal with a bit of regularity. But I’ve neglected this most sacred of spaces and today felt like a good day to brain dump. Decembers are hard. Maybe challenging is a better word? They always have been. Endings in preparation for new beginnings. Dark days. Lonely nights with a busy mind.…