Beginning

(The following post is my final post on my old blog site. Farewell, old friend.)

Ten years ago I had the urge to write. At the time, I did not know why or how or where. I just knew I had to start. I stared at my computer and began typing out a sad little story about a shiny object in a parking lot. Mercifully, I spared you the results of that moment. I decided to try my hand at blogging even though I had read very few blogs and I had NO idea what I was doing (not sure that has changed much). I am an old-school girl and prefer my linguistic fixes in hard copy, please. Blogging was a new frontier for me so I began by researching my way through recipe blogs, political blogs, angry blogs, cutesy blogs, mommy blogs and blogs about blogs, wondering whether such nonsense was a good fit for me. For better or worse, I wrote my first piece and hit the post button, believing it might be a one-and-done moment. Three hundred posts later I can honestly state that my first post was not my last.

I cringe a bit as I look through my posts over the years. I want to re-write, edit, delete and question my sanity for some of them. Some were sad. Some were happy. Most often, they were somewhere in between. I cannot say I had an express goal for my blog but I did have a few promises I tried to keep for each piece.

1) Limit the rant.--I have read enough social media writing to know that rants are popular. Name a topic and I am sure you can find a post that skewers it, from both sides. While this can be entertaining at times, I prefer moments with less sandpaper. Certainly, my posts are not opinion-free, but I attempt to keep the screaming to a minimum.

2) Ditch the ads.--My blog is not a business, therefore, I have the luxury of keeping it ad-free. I am sure all of us have experienced the frustration of reading an on-line post that is so fraught with pop-ups and big-brother ads that one is forced to abandon ship before finishing the post. My brain is unable to chase too many squirrels at one time so ad-free it must be.

3) Keep it real.--I do not live a life of dazzling Instagrammable moments. In fact, I am often reminded that I live a life of JOMO, joy of missing out. I am not afraid of experiencing the everyday and it doesn't bother me to ignore the world of social media influencers. I will never be the one who lives a life of wild abandonment and I am okay with that.

It is time to reveal my final promise to you, drum roll please. I will not be writing any more blog posts on my original site. At the nudging of my sweet daughter who often gently reminds me that it is time for a much needed refresh, I am moving my material to a new website. Gone, for now, will be my wonky photos but I am adding a variety of content for a wider range of reading options. I have been posting my recent blogs on both sites as I worked toward transition.

And, as usual, I have no particular end game in mind. I am going to trust the process and see where it takes me. Thank you for being a part of my last ten years of posting. I hope you will check out my new website and continue to stop by whenever you need a dose of beige.