My name is Carole Bass. I’m a writer and editor living in (and loving) New Haven, Connecticut.

When I started this blog in 2015, I had just quit my job in a state of emotional physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion. I hoped that by taking time off from work, I could reignite my passions—writing, reading, music, Judaism, walking in the woods—and discover what I would like to do next professionally. I named this self-exploration The Mary Oliver Challenge (full explanation here; shorter explanation here).

This blog is an important part of the challenge: it helps me sort through what I’m thinking and feeling, and it helps me practice the openness and vulnerability that are essential to my healing. I wrote: “After 30-plus years as a journalist, I’ve had a lot more practice writing about other people than about myself. So we’ll see how this goes.”

In 2016, I came to realize that I have a chronic illness—one or more tick-borne infections, possibly including Lyme disease—that accounts for much of my physical and psychological struggle. Accepting that reality while also hoping for the best is a new phase of the challenge. It truly brings home the necessity—and the difficulty—of living one day at a time and making the best of each moment.

So we’ll see how this goes.