How Does It Feel to Be Away From Home?

Summary

The author reflects on their journey on Medium, the connections made, the challenges faced while balancing education and writing, and the realization of Medium as a happy place that welcomes them back despite prolonged absences.

Abstract

The author began writing on Medium in April 2021, where they found a sense of community and connection with diverse individuals. Despite understanding the platform's preference for personalized stories, they chose to write in their own style. The demands of a full-time university program, freelance work, and research led to a break from Medium, but the author was met with a warm welcome upon their return. Subsequent breaks due to academic commitments made the author realize how much they missed the Medium community and the platform's role as a sanctuary for expression. The author expresses gratitude for the support received and is hopeful about re-engaging with the platform, acknowledging the balance between personal expression and meeting expectations.

Opinions

The author values the connections made with like-minded individuals on Medium.
They acknowledge the importance of personalized stories on the platform but prefer to write in their own style.
The author faced difficulties in managing their time between university, freelance work, and writing, leading to breaks from Medium.
They express deep gratitude for the welcoming atmosphere and support from fellow writers upon returning to the platform.
The author considers Medium a "happy place" that continues to offer warmth and support even after periods of absence.
They have learned to balance their personal expression with the requirements of the writing world.
The author is keen to reconnect with the Medium community and learn about the changes in their peers' lives since their last interaction.

A Sneak Peek into My Entering And Taking Break From The Medium.

Back in April 2021 when I started submitting my writings to the Medium publications, little did I know what life had for me in store.

I learned a lot on Medium either from fellow writers or by practicing writing here. But for the most part, what I loved here was a connection with like-minded souls — something we all crave deeply.

In this journey, I’ve connected with people from almost all walks of life and loved the compassionate windows they opened into their lives.

However, regardless of being aware of the deepest need of this platform — personalized stories — I kept on writing in my own way, which had pros and cons, of course. An example of it is not writing an about me story despite knowing my fellow writers fiercely qualify for knowing more about me.

A writing class I took somewhere in my first year as an aspiring writer told me writing is difficult for a person who hasn’t figured out where he stands on a particular topic.

Translating the same concept to writing in a particular style (which here means personalized stories) had been my reason for not publishing an About Me story. I am grateful to my fellow writers, nonetheless, who accepted my writings the way they were.

Fast forward to October 2021, when, mercifully, the COVID situation improved, I decided to change (or expand my educational background’s dimensions), got admission to a full-time university program, which got difficult to manage with writing, my freelance endeavors, and the course plus research work.

Without deciding I took a break from Medium and came back here after a few months. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the welcome-back notes I got.

However, as the spring semester started once again I had to take a break again. Unbeknownst to me, the break lingered until a deep gush of passion I had almost an hour ago.

Of course, during all this time I had a little time to engage with my virtual fellows but that, to my spirit, was not the most proper way to allocate the deserved attention to this platform.

Picture traveling a 48 km distance to university, coming back to find the pending projects scowling at you and your multi-passionate nature not allowing you to settle down on one step at a time and you’d imagine the roller coaster I had been in.

In this break, I have missed my Medium peers. I have missed their stories in which each one had a different yet infectious approach to view life. I missed the feedback from them that generously supported me on my bad writing days.

I have missed being in a virtual home where you could write whatever your spiritual heart wanted you to.

And, I’ve gotten to revise the message that I had learned years ago: Your happy place never ceases to warm you no matter how far you have been. Furthermore, I’ve learned to find the sweet spot between being myself and satisfying the particular requirements of the world.

As I’m penning this story, once again I know little about when life will take yet another turn but I’m hopeful of beginning the Medium journey from where I left off.

I’d love to know how much your life has changed ever since we got to read each other the last time. Please let me know in the comments.

Thank you for your time and for being a valuable asset to my journey here on Medium! : )