12/13/11

Happy 2nd Birthday, little blog


I've let my two year blogiversary come and go, ignored, like an unappreciated marriage, but much has happened in these two years, and it's been fun to have this place to capture it all.


A few highlights:

What does another year of blogging bring?
I'm still not sure. This motherhood transition has knocked me off my block a bit at times and having never gone through it before, it's hard to know how much is temporary and how much is here to stay. I don't know how that will change things.

I do know that I'm still on the path of a writer, although my steps down the path have slowed. I also know that I still love to share my fleeting insights and feelings, plus the occasional whimsy.

But I'm not sure about other things...

I'm not sure how I feel about documenting my journey through motherhood after baby is born. In a sense, I'm documenting baby's life for all the world to see, and baby doesn't get a say in it. I don't have any radical black and white convictions, but those shades of gray worry me.

And I'm not sure about other aspects of blogging...

The way it puts life on a public pedestal. It's like always looking in the mirror. Does it make me too self-conscious? Is it a good thing? I'm an introspective person by nature, and I don't think that's bad. But what blogging makes me self-conscious about is often not my character, but rather how cool I am or how photogenic or trendy or how exciting my life is or how many people give a darn about what I write. And I don't know that those things are the best gauge of a life well-lived. What worries me is the idea I might come to be more concerned about what anonymous society thinks about me than the people who really count.

Over the years I've gotten so much inspiration from blogs for things like home decor, fashion, food, crafts, etc. I love the fact that (most) blogging is not corporate-directed. It's real people, sharing what they've found and tried and liked. And yet, like magazines, so much of blogging can stir up envy and acquisition-ary tendencies.

"Why doesn't my house look like that? I think it's time to remodel the bathroom"
"I want that moroccan pouf I see in all the cool people's living rooms..."
"I need a new pair of boots"
"What's MY signature fragrance?"
"Everyone else has an iPhone. Why don't I get one? I don't want to be the last one on the block, do I?"
"Oh, I need to check out that Etsy store"

It's not that I think these things are horrible. They're normal and natural and human, but I have enough problems with "I-want-itis" without feeding the beast. I know some bloggers intentionally use their blogs as a force for good (or at least what they believe in) to try to motivate and inspire themselves and others towards higher ideals and maybe that's a path I need to consider.

So I'm not 100% sure what blogging holds for me in the future, but as I've done in the past, I'll keep going a little longer, to see what emerges.


Thanks for reading and coming along for the ride!

9 comments:

  1. Glad to be your anonymous reader! :) you always inspire. Thanks for that!

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  2. Happy Blog Birthday!!

    I know what you mean about I-want-itis! I love reading blogs, but sometimes I just have shut off the computer and not feel bad because I don't have what other people have.

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  3. Happy Birthday little blog!!

    I agree with everything you are saying...there is too much want want want,,but sometimes we find others who are like minded and gain inspiration in changing to something better..less materialistic and competitive....I look forward to reading more from you...I love your writing...

    Linda :)

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  4. your post really makes me think about what i want from blogging. having a blogs with lots of readers always seemed so glamorous to me and i always wanted that, but while trying to be like other bloggers or while trying to create a blog that others want to subscribe to, i forgot what it meant to live in the present. i really need to learn the fact that it's more important to be concerned about what people who really matter think of me. thank you for the reminder. happy birthday, little blog.

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  5. Ah, I think it's very normal for you to feel this way. We didn't even own a computer until after our second child was born. In some ways, I wish blogs had been around when I was a new mother. I think I would've documented certain aspects of my kids' early years better if I'd been blogging then. However, I don't know that for sure (maybe I'd have kept a private blog?), especially since I have actually pretty much kept my family members out of my blogs, to protect their privacy. Others make different decisions, and that's fine. And it's interesting to see how blogs (our own and others') can change directions. I initially began my first blog to document our homeschooling, but I ended up not doing that at all!

    No matter how you proceed, I'm sure it will be good and will work for you. Happy blogiversary!

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  6. aw happy belated bday!!! def looks like a festive cake!! happy blogiversary!!!

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  7. Happy anniversary!

    I struggle with some of the same thoughts and questions. But in the end, I settled on viewing blogs as these wonderful instruments to give an everyday woman a voice and to allow us to find other kindred spirits that would have otherwise not met.

    A blog is how I found you after all! :)

    Happy anniversary. I love your voice and hope to keep reading it for a long time.

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  8. Happy Blogaversary my Friend! I for one Hope that you continue on your Blog Journey here in the Land of Blog as a participant and not just a spectator because I've truly enjoyed your Posts and how very authentic you are, sharing not only thoughts, inspiration, but also those Life issues that can make us feel vulnerable at times. I've had my Heart and Prayers go out to you during the Maybe-Motherhood part of the Journey and then Great Rejoicing when the Motherhood part of the Journey was announced!

    I've had some conflicted feelings at times about this Journey... mostly due to input by others who seemed to have more concerns about my sharing than I did... and then got me to thinking that perhaps they had valid points I should consider. But at the end of the day every aspect of Life has some risks, pitfalls and benefits associated with it and this is no exception to that reality. I tend to Believe that my participation in the Land of Blog has had amazing Benefits that far outweighed any of the negs or concerns associated with the Journey... so I shall continue to enjoy it... experience growth and changes along the way... and connect to the wonderful Community here, which has been a Special Joy.

    Christmas Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

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