I'm really glad to have seen the update in the comments. I hope that things continue to head in a good direction. It was a gut punch to read, and I'm sure even more of one to actually live. The emotional strain on mental states, and relationships, during the pandemic is something I'm sure is going to be studied for years to come. Which doesn't make it any better to know that other people are also going through it, but I hope it makes you feel a *little* less alone. Last week you said you were taking a break from your "walk in the woods" stories, but even though you never left your house, this was very much in the same spirit of introspection. What was it like to find the narrative beats - not in an old memory, which a lot of people do - but in something you are experiencing in real time?

I do tend to get out a lot of my inner thoughts on myself and my situation through my writing. I'm often "writing" in my head as I experience things, to try and put another spin on my thoughts or to just appreciate what I have in the moment. While I wouldn't have submitted the piece I did if I could have come up with something different and I'm not 100% happy with it from a "writing contest" perspective, I'm glad I did.

That said, my situation with my husband has taken a bit of a downturn again and I'm not really sure when it's going to get better or if it is, so while this game is a good distraction for me, I'm probably going to be mostly quiet for the time being and just focus on listening.