Good Morning. I read this article by Kristine Katherine Rusch a few weeks ago and as she said in her blog title, discover-ability...is all about surprise. So Surprise. It's Tuesday. And I'm posting.
It's also my birthday. I'm 52. But in my head I think like I'm 38. My body feels like it's 96. (I've been doing yard work for the last week, before the weather turns either too wet or too hot.) I used to like yard work. Not so much anymore. Priorities change as we get older.
I've been thinking a lot about my house. Alas, I have not painted since we moved in. I'm living in a beige world with pineapple wallpaper. I need to put some color up.
The yard sale I thought was this weekend is actually next. But I didn't find that out until after I cleaned the Florida room. We're on Spring Break this week so I've been cleaning. Like a mad fishwife. Thinking about tearing down pineapple wallpaper.
I'm stuck on a book I've been working on lately. Not so much the "book" but the series. I've been re-evaluating what I want to do with it. I have an idea for another one, a spin-off from this. I've been giving serious thought about acquiring an agent.
And because I've been thinking and cleaning, all this has brought about another rather personal discussion I was having with a friend of mine. You know, that what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-with-my-life discussion, the one you have after after you blow your final exam because you were out drinking the night before. The one you have when you walk out on a perfectly good job because that little bitch in the downstairs office got the promotion you deserved. The one you have when you quit your high paying executive job making six figures to become an organic wheat grass farmer in Ohio. You know, what the fuck am I doing with my life?
Throughout my life, I have always maintained when something stops being fun, I won't do it anymore. And I don't. I think because it's my birthday I have to be truthful with myself. Blogging isn't fun for me anymore. I struggle to think up new and interesting topics of conversation. I struggle to comment on your blogs. (I've missed some fine series/specials during the A-Z Challenge this year. By friends, no less.) I struggle to keep up.
I know there are super-bloggers out there who do it all. Write, Tweet, Blog, Tour, etc. etc. Have an amazing presence on all different kinds of mediums. Have thousands of followers everywhere. Yeah, I'm not that kind of girl. And I don't pretend to be.
However, knowing what I do about social media, (and a lot of other factors), I can't just quit blogging. Not yet. But I do have to refocus, re-evaluate, and re-design. So, I'm going to take some time off and do just that.
I hope you all have a great Spring. I'll see you when I do.
PS Today is also Earth Day. Be kind to the Earth. Pick up some trash.
Anne Gallagher (c) 2014
17 comments:
Happy Birthday, Anne.
Is it at all possible that you're over thinking blogging and making it too hard on yourself. Instead of just having some silly fun with it?
No pressure, just fun.
Well, take what time you need, and the urge to blog will either be reinvigorated or you'll find something new. Re-assessing should be done at intervals.
I've always been a slow blogger, not trying to blog daily. But I do try to keep it interesting. This A to Z is not my usual speed.
Take care and we'll see you when we see you, like you said.
I did that last year --left the blogging world for a while because it had become too much of a chore. For me I felt very pressured to "keep up" and always try to say the things that would win me the most followers. I try not to think of it as a marketing tool anymore (because I used to think I had to use it that way) and just focus on sharing ideas. Learning from thoughtful analyzers of the world such as yourself and expressing my own thoughts. Approaching it from that perspective I love it again. I hope you find a perspective that will bring the joy back into it for you. Until then your posts will be missed.
Happy birthday! You do what is right for you. If/when you come back, we will be happy to see you.
Ivy -- No, I've been here before. It's not over-thinking, it's just re-organizing my life into compartments again. I have to find a place to permanently put blogging. It used to be a priority, but not so much anymore. However, I can't just let it go either. I'll be back, I just don't know when.
D.G. -- For one, I do know that once I get my head on straight, I'm heading straight to your blog to read your A-Z. I've seen some pretty interesting topics and I haven't had the time to read them.
Taryn -- Thanks so much. See, though, I'm not much of a marketer, and my posts are anything but thoughtful. (I just try to keep it real.) But I'm finding it really hard to keep it that way. I can't tell you how many times I've drafted blog posts and they sound hollow, and trite, and just plain bullshit. I don't want to keep doing that.
Liza -- I have to come back, for all different reasons. I don't really want to go, but I have nothing to say. (Well, I do, but I have to figure out how to say it. And I'm not ready yet.)
Anne, I missed saying Happy Birthday! to you, I forgot that when reading that you were taking a blogging vacation for a bit. Enjoy you time away. We'll be here.
Happy Birthday! Or should I say Happy (B)earth Day? :)
Sometimes a blog break is a good thing. Enjoy yours. Recharge. :)
Happy Birthday Anne. A good day for thinking - not so much for cleaning, lol.
I hope you have a great Spring/summer break, and do get rid of that pineapple wallpaper. That's what is bringing you down ya know - the thought of all that vacation you're not experiencing because you're home, thinking and cleaning. Vicious cycle.
.......dhole
Dang. That time of the year again. Just can't keep those annual events from happening, can we! Dang dab it.
Happy birthday to you!
DG -- Thank you for my birthday wishes.
Linda -- Happy B(Earth)Day is superb! You are just so witty. Thank you.
Donna -- You are absolutely right. That wallpaper has to go!
Mac -- Thanks Mac. Another year older and deeper in debt. HA!
I'm a day late, but Happy birthday!!!
I don't know that blogging is fun for me anymore, either, but it's definitely a habit. I have some fun future posts planned and i know i'll have to stick with it for another 2 years or so, for reasons i'm not allowed to talk about online yet, but i'm sure at some point in the future i'll probably let the blog go. Just not yet
Happy Be-lated Birthday! I don't know where I was yesterday. Apparently not blogging--haha!
Hopefully you'll find a blog solution that makes you happy (and is less stressful). Social media should be fun, not a chore. We have enough chores in our life, don't we?
Happy (belated) birthday! I've been out of town and mostly disconnected from cyber space.
I don't think there's anyone out there who doesn't want to give up blogging at one time or another. It's normal.
I'm on hiatus right now because I have so much on my plate right now. It used to make me feel guilty but now I give myself permission to take back my life when I need it.
And you're right. When it stops being fun, it's time to look at other options. There are always options.
Happy Birthday!!!
Don't feel bad. I struggle to keep up with it all. I disappeared, for the most part, from cyberspace for weeks recently because things became too much and I had to prioritize. Family and health first. Sometimes something's gotta give.
Happy belated birthday! I am also 52 this year. It's a good number.
Hope you find a way to make it work for yourself. Cheers and boogie boogie.
Hi Anne. Just stopping by to say hi. :) I know you're on a break, but I hope you're doing well and enjoying your summer.
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