Separate.

As you've likely guessed by now, my July plans to take a month with my partner to create a shared vision of our future didn't go exactly as planned.

We've ended up with a shared vision, but it's also one where we're separating - with a lot of kindness and love - but still going our separate ways.

As you might imagine, posting about it on the internet wasn't what felt like the first (or even 487th thing) to do, and as we've worked through the emotions and figured out the nuts and bolts of what uncoupling two lives really means, I've stayed away from these letters to just have space and privacy to work all of that out.

And to be honest, I'll still need a bit more of that space before I'm ready to come back here, to writing, sharing life, going on whatever the next adventure turns out to be.

There are and will be exciting and wonderful and terrifying things to share (I got vaccinated! I've booked an apartment in Paris for next summer! We're still in lockdown! I have no idea what is happening with Ink & Feet!), but those are for another time, when the muddy waters I'm navigating have had more time to settle.

These letters might change; we all change - but I am so grateful to have had you alongside me for the journey thus far.

And I'm pretty sure I'll be back to writing - and likely traveling - at some point in the future.

Thanks for your patience, your support, and for reading these words, week after week. I appreciate you. :)

With much gratitude, -Steven

p.s. The best thing I've read (often) of late is one of my favorite poems, now particularly poignant. Jack Gilbert's Flying and Falling.