As a young girl, I found a book in my great grandmother’s dusty trunk that I have always kept. Inside its red cover and contained on yellowed pages are spells, advice for reading tea leaves, and for writing letters in ‘sympathetic inks.’ These days we would call them “invisible inks” and of course they were reserved for writing about what is behind the scenes often hidden from the view of others .
This blog started out with the name “Intersections, Reflections on the Personal and Professional.” A few years ago, I changed it to ZigZagLife to acknowledge the back and forth we all do during life’s rush hours. But now in my 50’s I don’t feel that I’m zigzagging so much as integrating and revisiting: different roles, different seasons, and different perspectives, thinking about experiences and issues that many of us confront and do not always talk about. So I’ve changed the name again to Sympathetic Ink because that is the medium I want to write in, one that examines complex experiences and perspectives, shares memories and moments, struggles and triumphs, matters that are close to the heart and that weigh on our minds. I hope you’ll follow along and share your experiences with me.