To be honest, for a period of time I had pretty much decided that I was pulling the plug on my blog. It takes SO MUCH time. My motivation/momentum had taken an earth-shattering nosedive. I've been unenthused about the increasing pervasiveness of advertising and sponsored posts.
In short, this was my blogger theme song for a few weeks:
What changed my mind to bring me back? Ultimately, the remembrance that blogging is a terrific way to stay in touch with friends and meet new ones. I have so many examples, but here are three recents on which I am reflecting:
1.) This morning I attended a fabulous Women's Forum sunrise yoga event. I got to see six awesome friends there - all of whom I met through blogging. It was the best kick-off to a Monday morning that I've ever had.
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| From L to R: Top: Erica, me, and Jill Middle: Lauren and Melanie Bottom: Maggie and Natali |
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| Throwback Monday to the 2014 Chinatown 5K with Natalie (left) and me. Aren't Natalie's Sriracha leggings the coolest (or rather the spiciest) thing ever?!? |
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| L to R: Luiz, Xaarlin, me, and Cristina In the surroundings but not pictured: Xaarlin's dog, CB |
All of the amazing friendships have me realizing how valuable it is to keep the blog windows open. So with that...
We have a lot of catching up to do! I've got three races to recap, amongst many other things. Let's see if we can gradually get both back on track and in motion.
Excellent. This is my favorite blog !
ReplyDeleteThank you! You're a little biased, though. ;-)
DeleteAwww :)
Delete=)
DeleteYay! I was recently wondering when/if you'd be back and was happy to see this post today! :)
ReplyDeleteAwww, thank you Pete! You are too kind! BTW - I heard about what you were going through the night before RnR Chicago and was so bummed on your behalf. How are things going? Everything okay?
DeleteWELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the feature, though that photo is way old by now. Maybe we'll find a new race again some time in the future ... and I can wear something even more flashy. :-)
Thank you so much, Natalie! You were the final push this morning to finally get me back on track today. =)
DeleteYES on running another race together sometime very soon! I was actually eyeing the Twin Cities 10-Miler lottery, but the race timing doesn't work out in my work schedule. We'll find another one, though. At the very least, we'll get some updated pictures when you visit next month. =)
Aw! I got in for the 10 mile. That would have been epic! Technically, it is kind of your turn to run here .... Wink wink.
DeleteBut yes, in the meantime, we'll have to get new photos! Even if they are non-running based.
Congrats on getting selected!!! I saw your post on Facebook and was super pumped for you. It looks like an amazing race!!! And YES - it is definitely my turn to run in your hood. I'll have to take a look at your local race calendar to see what might work out.
DeleteI am so excited to meet up with you for the Air & Water show with you! It's going to be a blast - and we'll get some fantastic photos along the lakefront!!!
We would have never guessed how many friends we have met throughout the blogging community. And seeing them at races to put a name to their face is so cool.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it unbelievable? You get to know folks so well through their blogs that by the time you meet them in person, it's like you've known them your whole life! It's amazing!
DeleteI've missed your blog! Welcome back. I look forward to reading your race recaps.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, HoHo! I need to get back to commenting on blogs, too, including yours of course!
DeleteThanks for noticing, Amanda! Thanks also for understanding - shall we call it the challenge of the work-life-blog balance? =D Likewise - I always look forward to reading your blog whenever you DO have time to write!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what happened to you! I thought maybe Blogger was failing me and not showing me your blog. Glad you're back! Blogger friends=the best friends!
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy! I need to get back on track with commenting on others' blogs, too, including yours! Blogger friends are the bestest friends ever, indeed!
DeleteI noticed and I was SO happy to see you this morning and to see your post now. I was ready to give up in May. I decided the fun was gone and I wasn't seeing as much interest. Then, I decided to shake things up... to post a bit less... to be more flexible with themes and do some more link ups. Like you, I love my blogger friends and blogger experiences. I also enjoy writing and interacting with readers. So... I am sticking with it for now, too! FWIW, I love your blog, your perspective and your infectious smile :) I am also happy that blogs or no blogs, we are now friends in real life!
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind, Erica! Thank you so much for your very kind words. Likewise - I never cease to be amazed by your incredible talents and your amazing generosity, humility, and relateability. I am truly blessed that we are friends in real life!!! And it really was so awesome to see you this morning!!! I was thinking about what you said about how the CRBs haven't done a big get-together in awhile. We are very overdue to do so!!!
DeleteI am glad that you understand the feeling of wanting to give up on blogging. But at the same time - I am really, really glad that you were able to shake things up in a way that kept you going strong. I love your blog and it's one of the longest-termers on my reader list!!!
I've missed you! But I've been MIA as well. Totally understand your thoughts on pulling the plug. I'm having the same thoughts. But you're right: so many great friendships here.
ReplyDeleteI've missed you and noticed that you've been MIA as well - but it's very understandable given your jaunts throughout Europe! I've been loving all the pics you were posting on Instagram. What an amazing trip! Oh no on you having similar thoughts on pulling the plug but I totally understand!!!
DeleteI saw pictures of the sunrise yoga all over my Instagram yesterday and was so jealous - that looked awesome!
ReplyDeleteI had gotten to a similar spot with my blog for a while - did I really want to continue? What would I even write about? Would anyone even care to read what I have to say after how inconsistent I've been with it? And yes, all of the sponsored posts... it can get a little grating after a while. But as long as you find a way to make it fun and not feel like an obligation, then it's worth continuing. But you can also keep in touch with all of your blogger friends outside of the blog (as you clearly do)! :)
Thanks Anne - it was a quick event, but really fun!
DeleteI am right there with you on all those questions you mentioned. One of my biggest hurdles to starting back up was the exact question of wondering if anyone would care what I wrote about after taking so much time off. So I am trying to remember the perspective of "My blog, my rules" and that we blog first and foremost for ourselves. So much easier said than done. But thankfully we all do this as a hobby so who cares if it doesn't pan out in certain ways, right? Absolutely - there are so many ways in stay in touch outside of blogging too. =)
I can't wait for your shindig on August 22, by the way!!!
Welcome back! I do miss your posts. I understand about not wanting to blog because I sometimes go through it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Zenaida! I am always amazed at the professional bloggers. How are they able to blog on a "must-do" basis? It's a good thing we do this just as a hobby so we can dictate what works for us!!!
DeleteI think you do this hobby better than the professional bloggers. Many of them just post BS full of typos. Ugh, it simply annoys me.
DeleteAww, thank you so much, Zenaida! Likewise - I enjoy reading your blog way more than the pro bloggers, too. You can definitely tell when a pro blogger just needs to find a way to post SOMETHING, right? It translates into writing about things like trips to the post office and seeing a weird-shaped leaf on the sidewalk along the way, haha. Yet they still get all their fan comments and sponsors knocking at their doors!!! Must be nice!!!
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