One must always maintain one’s connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it. ~ Gaston Bachelard

Hello friends, it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me. As I’ve mentioned before, the last two years has put me into a place best described by the term languishing. While I kept writing pretty consistently, eventually I just needed to take a break. I’ve been writing this blog for over ten years and pretty consistently posting at least once a week, typically on Sunday nights. I want to thank you, my readers, for your readership, support and kind comments over the years. When I started this endeavor, I didn’t expect it to go more than a year and yet here we are ten years later. I have at times, and more so recently wondered if I should continue, if I have anything left to say? I’m not sure I do, but for now I’ll continue writing. The blog has changed over the years, it started as purely focused on scholarly happiness works and advice. It has morphed into something more personal while remaining focused on hopefully helping people live happier lives. I hope that this blog continues to help.

Over my writing break there has been a lot going on, a close family member was diagnosed with cancer, happily it’s early stage. A colleague was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and passed away a few weeks after it was sudden and incredibly sad. I also had the opportunity to go east, back to New York for the first time since the COVID pandemic started. This meant for the first time in a little less than three years I got to see my family, blood and selected. The visit was timed around my nephew’s high school graduation party. We used that date to do a surprise birthday party for my mother’s 80th birthday. The surprise worked completely, she was shocked, surprised and had a really wonderful day.

I also was able to see my brother’s family and stay with them a couple of days, including spending time playing with the “mayor of Brooklyn,” my littlest niece. At just turned three years-old she’s already the boss of everything and everyone. We had a blast playing Lego farm animals together and her assaulting and scaring her uncle. I got to see all but two of my nieces and nephews and a lot of extended family I don’t see very often. And most of all, got to eat a lot of real, high quality, NY style pizza.

I also got to see my selected family, those people who others call friends, but are close enough for me to consider them family. It meant traveling damn near to Canada, and across New York but it was wonderful to be able to re-connect in person. I even found a couple of days to slip off to Scarborough Beach in Rhode Island for a couple of days, eat a lobster roll and relax at the beach.

For a lot of us COVID separated us from family and part of the huge travel pulse we’re seeing this summer is certainly others re-connecting as I had. I hope you have been able to do the same. Have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane