It seems like, in general, you either make your life happen or your life happens to you. And usually we have seasons of one - having some order or control over what is going on in our lives and seasons of the second - reacting to life happening around us. Lately I've been in that second category of watching life swirl around me. And consequently blogging hasn't been at the top of my list. I have a paper by my computer of topics I want to blog about but haven't, for one reason or another. But I have had so many thoughts and ponderings and getting older means that those thoughts will only stay with me for so long unless they get written down.
Long ago, at the start of my blog I wondered why blogs stop. I was new to following blogs and would often find one that I enjoyed but taking a closer look at the dates I realized that the writer had been gone for months or sometimes years. There was no conclusion like a book, no season finale like a TV series, no final thoughts. The blog just seemed abandoned like someone had walked out of their house one day and left everything behind. Now, having blogged for several years, I think I understand a little better. Sometimes life happens. Other interests take over. Writing down thoughts and activities no longer adds to our day, it just becomes another thing to do. Sometimes the whole process of picture taking and editing and posting is more than we want to deal with. But we still sort of like the idea. Maybe life will slow down or inspiration will strike so we just sort of put our bookmark in place and set the blog aside. Then time moves on and suddenly it's been months or years and blogging becomes something we did "back then"- sort of like diaries of old or paper and pencil journaling (both of which I've done in the past). I guess the main difference is that no one knew when those writings were started or when they ended. No, I'm not getting out of the blogosphere.....just acknowledging a little insight into some old questions I've had.
That sort of leads me to my second pondering (which actually has a quilting connection). We often think of choices in life in terms of what we choose, but in reality choices are more about what we DON'T choose.....what we say "no" to can be as important as what we say "yes" to. Son #1 had a very broad assortment of interests in high school - from drama to art to engineering to logic and debate to science. But to be good at one he would have to spend less time with the others. His dilemma was not finding what he liked or should pursue in life but acknowledging the need to say "no" to other likes. So maybe my missing bloggers have decided to say "yes" to other interests for awhile and need to harness some of the time and energy spent on blogging in their other areas. Just like (wait for it.....here comes the quilting transition) choosing fabrics for a quilt. We may have 20 fabrics that seem to go together and that are all pleasing to us. But saying "yes" to all of them would create a chaotic design. So we need to figure out what to say "no" to so that we can accomplish our final goal of a coordinated pattern that we like. Did we like ALL of the fabrics? Yes. But we couldn't make our quilt with all of them. Did Son #1 like all of those varied interests? Yes. But pursuing his eventual profession required a total concentration of his time and energy for several years. Saying "no" to good things is sometimes needed so that we can say "yes" to other good things.
So, life is still happening to me and probably won't slow down for awhile yet, but I'm not ready to say "no" to blogging.....just a bit slow at it.
Long ago, at the start of my blog I wondered why blogs stop. I was new to following blogs and would often find one that I enjoyed but taking a closer look at the dates I realized that the writer had been gone for months or sometimes years. There was no conclusion like a book, no season finale like a TV series, no final thoughts. The blog just seemed abandoned like someone had walked out of their house one day and left everything behind. Now, having blogged for several years, I think I understand a little better. Sometimes life happens. Other interests take over. Writing down thoughts and activities no longer adds to our day, it just becomes another thing to do. Sometimes the whole process of picture taking and editing and posting is more than we want to deal with. But we still sort of like the idea. Maybe life will slow down or inspiration will strike so we just sort of put our bookmark in place and set the blog aside. Then time moves on and suddenly it's been months or years and blogging becomes something we did "back then"- sort of like diaries of old or paper and pencil journaling (both of which I've done in the past). I guess the main difference is that no one knew when those writings were started or when they ended. No, I'm not getting out of the blogosphere.....just acknowledging a little insight into some old questions I've had.
That sort of leads me to my second pondering (which actually has a quilting connection). We often think of choices in life in terms of what we choose, but in reality choices are more about what we DON'T choose.....what we say "no" to can be as important as what we say "yes" to. Son #1 had a very broad assortment of interests in high school - from drama to art to engineering to logic and debate to science. But to be good at one he would have to spend less time with the others. His dilemma was not finding what he liked or should pursue in life but acknowledging the need to say "no" to other likes. So maybe my missing bloggers have decided to say "yes" to other interests for awhile and need to harness some of the time and energy spent on blogging in their other areas. Just like (wait for it.....here comes the quilting transition) choosing fabrics for a quilt. We may have 20 fabrics that seem to go together and that are all pleasing to us. But saying "yes" to all of them would create a chaotic design. So we need to figure out what to say "no" to so that we can accomplish our final goal of a coordinated pattern that we like. Did we like ALL of the fabrics? Yes. But we couldn't make our quilt with all of them. Did Son #1 like all of those varied interests? Yes. But pursuing his eventual profession required a total concentration of his time and energy for several years. Saying "no" to good things is sometimes needed so that we can say "yes" to other good things.
So, life is still happening to me and probably won't slow down for awhile yet, but I'm not ready to say "no" to blogging.....just a bit slow at it.
I can totally relate. I put a bookmark on my dance career page, and now it's something that I used to do more than something that I might get back to. For now I've chosen to dance in other mediums...quilting, sewing, a bit of blogging, cooking, retirement.
ReplyDeleteStruck a cord with me reading your post this morning, Nina. I can totally empathise as I haven't been blogging or sewing much lately (recovering shoulder, new house, commuting, spending time with family) ... it's actually been quite liberating. I should remember this feeling ... happy weekend :)
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