Ten Plus One

My, oh my, it is that time of year again. It is the anniversary date of my blog and yes, it has been eleven years. This is the moment where other, more savvy bloggers, announce fabulous giveaways like KitchenAid mixers or Stihl chainsaws. Alas, I have no sponsors or monetary pipelines so you are stuck, dear readers, with just words as usual. A few years ago I had a random plumber comment on one of my posts but I think we can all agree there was creepiness written all over that experience. Upshot--no free PVC pipe coming your way.

An anniversary is a good time to look back and reflect so here are a few of my blogging thoughts:

1) Blogging is going the way of the dinosaur.--If you do not have a YouTube channel or a TikTok following, your relevance is questionable. The influencers of the world are black holes for amassing millions of followers, re-posts, likes and snappy content. Bloggers, not so much. Not to mention that blogging about the minutia of daily life can be dull as dirt. So, thank you to those of you who sip at my well of words each month. My friend, T-rex, is appreciative as well.

2) Stories are all around us.--I live a very ordinary life. I do not travel to exotic places. I do not run marathons on every continent. I do not design intricate bead work bracelets. I do not speak seven languages. And, I certainly do not climb mountains with dedicated Sherpas at my side. But, I do keep my eyes and ears open to moments that feel worthy of sharing. I encourage all of you to do the same. Savor the details of everyday.

3) Practice does not make perfect.--I have blogged over 180,000 words and, yet, I am well aware of my shortcomings. I write like I speak with lots of babbling with a few salient points sprinkled in for good measure. Those of you looking for perfection will have to head over to Pinterest or the Magnolia channel. I try to clean up egregious grammatical errors but even that process is not foolproof. So, my practice continues and the writing resumes for another post.

4) Never say never.--Without a doubt, I told myself this blogging gig would never last longer than a month or two. Well, so much for that prediction. As the CEO of this project I will continue to await the bidding of the muse and if another year rolls around, so be it. One thing I can guarantee is that my blog will stay ad-free. Spinning, flashing ads that hawk everything from fungal toe cream to safari bucket hats have no place in my space.

Thanks, again, for giving me a few minutes each month. I encourage you to continue doing whatever it is that gives you joy, no FOMO allowed! I close by stealing a poem from Ted Kooser, the author of a book I am currently reading. He lives in Nebraska and likes to "see the deep beneath the shallow."

If you can awaken

inside the familiar

and discover it new

you need never

leave home.