Tuesday, February 1, 2011

ending the hibernation

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I didn't plan to take a two month break from blogging. It just happened. About a month into my break it started feeling really good. I was ready to just call it quits. Blogging was just another thing on a long "to do" list that was weighing me down. More accurately, blogging was just another thing I wasn't doing well. I was feeling like a failure at so many things that if I could cross one of them off the list I could lessen the guilt.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging. And I love, love, love the friends I have made through blogging. I could never totally leave the blog world; at the very least I'd still read other blogs. But then it's more of a one-sided conversation. You do all the sharing and I just sit there with an occasional nod of agreement. How boring!

Another thing that I noticed on my break was that I was missing opportunities to capture the moment. I'd go days and days without picking up the camera. And then I'd beat myself up: "Why didn't I take a picture of that?" Regardless of whether this should a blogger's motivation, when you're actively blogging, you take a picture of everything because it could end up being the next post. I missed taking a picture of everything. I haven't scrapbooked in more than a decade (has it really been that long?!), so this blog helps me remember.

All this to say, I'm back. I'm still working through what direction I want this blog to take. Part of the reason I struggled with blogging is because my original purpose was to record our homeschooling and autism adventures, but I when it came down to writing those posts I was often uninspired. I'd like to expand the scope of my little corner of cyber space, and share more of what's been on my heart the last several months. I'm even considering making some changes to the blog itself, but we'll see. Step one is just ending the hibernation.

4 comments:

  1. That's exactly how I felt when I took my break in Sept. Sometimes a break is in order. Since my return, I have enjoyed it much more than before. I am less of a perfectionist about what I write and don't worry about keeping to homeschooling topics. There is a lot more joy in it.

    I really enjoy your blog, and your pictures are beautiful, but if you ever need to sign off, you will still have a friend in me. :)

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  2. Kellie -Glad you're back!! Sarah Allen recently passed your blog link on to me... I LOVE reading about the kids and what they are doing! We were three years in Texas, four years in Germany, and now are back in Texas, hopefully for good. If you want to see pictures, I have a website I update monthly (huh, January is over, I guess!!). The web address is web.mac.com/mikiemcd

    Jessica McDonald

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  3. Jess!!!!

    No way!!!

    Wow, has it been a long time!

    I just visited your site -- love the pictures! But there's no way to contact you, so shoot me an email sometime (link in the sidebar of my blog).

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  4. I love your reading your reflections, Kellie. I hope that you don't let the blog weigh you down, and that you know how much people appreciate what you have to say. Thank you for sharing yourself on here. It is hard sometimes, I do understand. The perfectionist in me takes over and...well...I don't write then :-/

    I hope you will continue to share! You bless me and many others with what you have to say!
    Hugs,
    Jen

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