Introducing the Blackbird

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally mustered the courage to go ahead, just pick a damn name, and start that blog I’ve been going on about forever. So here it is, and here I am.

My name is Merel (which is the Dutch name for a blackbird), born and raised in a tiny little country called The Netherlands.

I’m pretty used to people calling me too spacey, too in my head, accusing me of taking life too seriously, or not seriously enough.

Like many, many others, I’d kept my opinions and thoughts about what’s happening in and around the world (and my head) mostly to myself. I shared them only with my closest friends or any unsuspecting strangers if they made the mistake of asking me directly.

If there’s a god, I’m sure he or she or it knows that ‘short’, ‘brief’, ‘concise’, and any and all related words don’t exactly apply to me once I either open my mouth or take my fingers to the keyboard.

But now I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m done apologizing for who I am, and done apologizing for the way I think. So instead of hiding it all away from the world, and therefore possibly depriving others of some interesting food for thought, new perspectives, or a reason to call me names, I decided to own up to my opinions and let go of the cultural norms that tell me that I shouldn’t be so arrogant as to think there’d be people who’d be interested in reading what I have to say.

I’m done conforming to societal norms of what I should and should not do, think, or say. In this blog, I’m going to just be brutally honest, perilously vulnerable, but most of all: unflinchingly, and unapologetically, myself.

Whatever interests me (or bugs me), I’ll write about. Whatever thoughts or opinions I have, I’ll voice.

There’s no limit to my curiosity, and no boundaries to my horizons. So you can let go of any expectations you have with regards to content.

It’ll mostly be stuff about the human condition, society, the environment, (my) mental disorders, and my personal experiences, but don’t be surprised if there’s suddenly a cute cat video in the midst of it.

I might give you valuable advice about something you happen to struggle with, or share my two cents on something I came across online. It might be subjectively personal, or objectively educational. Anything goes.

If by now I still haven’t lost your attention, you might just be in the right place. By all means, read on, and see if you find anything of value.

Go in with an open mind, and just let it happen to you, let it wash over you. My feathers might not be as soft as goose down, and they might be dark at times, but if that’s just who I am, then that’s what I’m flying with.

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