It’s been over a year of blogging and during such I’ve sticked to my publishing schedule of two posts a week. Until these past weeks. What happened?!

A lot happened. Most were good things, don’t worry. I was just crazy busy and emotionally drained. I felt guilt about not updating my blog and I have a couple of reviews pending, but I could use some time off. My blog is a not a job, it’s a creative flow aimed at increasing my well-being. There’s no point in it becoming another source of pressure and stress.

But let’s get to the juicy news. One big I want to share was me running in the bike race Helsinki Velotour. I cycled the 80 km route, which was a bit crazy considering my scarce physical shape and the fact that I had never biked over 30 km. I am proud of myself for doing it, for having the courage of trying something completely new, for running the race “my own way” (slow and alone), and for finding the determination to finish it.

I was blessed by great weather (except the last 8 km in the pouring rain) and I truly enjoyed it despite the effort. I bought my bike almost a year ago and cycling has become one of the stress-reliever of my post-adoption life. It’s a mindfulness exercise for me. I get to enjoy the nature surrounding me and to test my body, without stressing it. It’s a constant work of listening to your body, your thoughts, and immersing yourself it the beautiful landscape. Because of this relationship between biking and my adoption, I had asked my adoption agency Interpedia to run with their T-shirt. I asked my followers and friends to donate to their development project in India. It gave me further purpose and motivation, and even if I have raised as much as 10 euros, I’m really glad I did!

Second big piece of news, I finally faced a difficult situation at work which has given me plenty of stress (and insomnia, depression, panic attacks, …) for the past couple of years. It meant I had to let go of some responsibilities, but I stayed true to myself, my values, and eliminated a huge source of stress. I had to fight all my insecurities, have resilience and plenty of patience, but I finally got to a point where it felt right to say “enough”. Despite the tension, I got support from colleagues I deeply admire. As you can imagine, this took a lot of emotional and mental energy in the past weeks.

Coming next, I was asked to speak to an Adoptioperheet (the local association of adoptive families) event in October to the local community of prospect adoptive parents. I’m really excited about this, because it feels so isolating to be an expat adoptive family in Finland. I’ll get to network with other families and I feel I have plenty to share for others’ benefit. This whole blog basically exists because I cannot keep my mouth shut about the adoption struggles. So, ya know, that’s exactly my jam. *Small ad* The session will be streamed via Skype. If you know any English-speaking adoptive parent/prospect adopter/person considering adoption in Finland, please tell them to register and take part *Jingle, end of ad*.

Here you go, that’s a small taste of what happens in a month in my house. There’s plenty more, but I don’t feel like sharing it. It’s been some tough weeks, kinda a rollercoaster ride. My spirits are high and I’m excited about what’s coming up in the fall. I have several ideas for content and I hope you’ll stick around to enjoy them. Happy start of Fall, everyone!