Hello, is there anybody in there?

Hello? (Hello, hello, hello)
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone home?

So, uhm, hi. Been awhile. If anyone who used to follow me is still around, you are likely more than a little surprised to see a post from me. Where have I been and why did I stop posting?

Life had gotten the better of me, I suppose. Work, kids, so on so forth. I'm still doing both photography professionally—which takes a lot of time—and translation between Japanese and English—which takes even more time. It was all getting a little overwhelming, so with the price of Steem so low (a problem that I see still hasn't rectified itself), with the fate of Steemit in flex (is this problem solved yet?), and with the lack of activity from most people I followed, dropping this little hobby seemed the sensible thing.

So, what does that sum to. Stress, I suppose. Too much stuff, too much doing. Therefore I withdrew.

Come on (Come on, come on), now
I hear you're feeling down
Well, I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again

Instead of blogging here I have been meditating more, withdrawing more into my Zazen practice. I taught my boy the Heart Sutra, which he can now chant in Japanese almost fully from memory. Trying to teach him a more deliberate meditation practice, but that is proving a little too much for a hyperactive 8 year old brain. But still, it is enjoyable sitting with him as he tries.

What brings me back here? Well, I'm not sure I am back. After this post you may not see another for awhile. Then again, you might see another soon. I don't really know. The pandemic may have given many people more free time as they lost work, but my work has only increased, making me as busy as ever. At the same time, I started to get curious about how this old place was doing.

Steem may be standing still, but BTC is going nuts. Some other coins too. I imagine that has brought some back. Me too, I suppose. So anyway, I'll be looking around, exploring, trying to remember how to do things on this platform. And maybe you'll hear from me again soon. If you see this and want to reconnect, leave a comment and (if I remember how to) I'll give a reply when I can.

(both quoted passages from "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. But you knew that already, didn't you?)