End of an Era

by kristendom on June 13, 2013

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this blog and its role in my life. I’ve been blogging consistently two – three times a week for almost seven years this July. Many of my blog posts have been about being a parent or the entertainment that is my kid. A number have been about whatever has been going on in my life at that time. A few have been about my struggles with depression. And more than a few have been about whatever random thought has entered my time on that particular day.

But I think it’s gotten to a point where I need to focus my energies elsewhere. When I stopped writing about Aedan, I lost a large chunk of my subject matter. And to be honest, I’m just at a point in my life where writing about myself just isn’t inspiring or fulfilling anymore. I feel like I’ve been phoning it in more often than not lately, and that’s just not what this blog is about. It’s been an excellent exercise in writing, in connecting with others, and in developing an online identity.

But this blog has been a huge part of my life and identity for so long, though, that I can’t let it go entirely. I’ll still blog here when the inspiration strikes, I just suspect that it will be quite a bit less than I currently do. I have a few posts left in me, I’m certain.

In the meantime, I think it’s time to focus my writing (and other) energies on some different projects. Maybe it’s finally time to work on that book I’ve been thinking of for some time now. Or who knows what else. I’m sure you’ll still be seeing me in the blogosphere from time to time, but hopefully you’ll be seeing me in a few other places now, too.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

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To Post or Not to Post

by kristendom on June 11, 2013

That is the question. Occasionally, things happen in my life, whether to me or someone I love, and I so very much want to post about them. They are funny or sad, they enrage me or make me cry, they are a good story. But as a general rule, when it comes to posting about others, I just don’t.

It just doesn’t seem fair to me that the only side people would get to read is mine. This is partially why I’ve stopped writing about Aedan – until he gets his own blog, that is. And this is why I don’t write about Sean much, either.

The other reason is that I feel like the conversations I have with Sean are mainly just for us. I would never vent about him on here – that wouldn’t be fair to him. This is not a means of communication for us. Even the funny stories I share on here are generally modified somewhat, just to make sure he’s comfortable with whatever I post. My blog is many things, but it is never meant to be a way to air my frustrations, should I have any.

That is why it is so foreign to me when I see others use their blogs or social media to do so. Maybe this is just my own belief, but I sincerely try to live by the rule of “do no harm” when it comes to sharing online. I even have a hard time calling out companies for bad service because I know that one bad experience does not mean a company completely sucks.

I’ve always found this quote from Anne Lamott to be interesting:

Remember that you own what happened to you. If your childhood was less than ideal, you may have been raised thinking that if you told the truth about what really went on in your family, a long bony white finger would emerge from a cloud and point to you, while a chilling voice thundered, “We *told* you not to tell.” But that was then. Just put down on paper everything you can remember now about your parents and siblings and relatives and neighbors, and we will deal with libel later on.

Because while it may be true, I just can’t quite live with the fact that I am the only owner of what happened to me. There are other people who own part of that story, too, and they may not have the voice to be able to share it. So until I get comfortable with that idea (if I ever do), I think I’ll live by my own rule of do no harm. It’s served me well thus far.

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The Introverted Presenter

June 5, 2013

This Friday, I will be giving my very first keynote presentation at an event that I am also organizing. Don’t ask me why I thought this was a good idea, but it’s happening now whether I’m ready or not. While I have given plenty of presentations before, this will be the first one where I [...]

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Home Decorating

June 4, 2013

When Sean and I first bought our house, we had in mind that we would live there maybe five to seven years, at the most. We knew this wasn’t going to be the house we spent most of our lives in, but it was serviceable as a first-time buyer’s house. And it has served us [...]

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A Three-Hour Tour

May 30, 2013

Tonight I had one of the more memorable and ridiculous experiences I’ve had in quite some time. Currently, I am in Hot Springs, Arkansas, attending a board meeting for the student affairs organization of which I’m a member. This evening was our leadership dinner, and our local host had cooked up something extra special – [...]

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Summer Musings

May 28, 2013

Tonight as I drove home with my windows down, waiting for the rain to come down, I couldn’t help but be reminded of all the descriptions of summer thunder storms I have read over the years: the humidity, the slightly burnt smell to the air, the heavy tension – just waiting for the first few [...]

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Going Shopping

May 22, 2013

When I was in college and had all my costs covered and money to burn, I could have broken records with my shopping habits. I was known to blow quite a bit of money all in one visit to the mall. As I have grown older and am required to spend my money elsewhere, I [...]

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Autobiography

May 21, 2013

Today I had to update my bio for a speaking engagement, and I realized it had been awhile since I had done so. Things I needed to update: – Years I’ve been blogging (almost 7) – Age of my kid (7-years-old) – Current position (web coordinator, no longer housing director) – Previous speaking engagements (regional [...]

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Magical Interwebs

May 16, 2013

I know I’ve talked about how awesome the interwebs are before (aside: actually, the internet is all the mechanics behind how we’re connected, the web is the content on the internet – make sense? No? These are the things you learn when you start working with computers – I’ll go back to my geekery later [...]

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On Reading

May 15, 2013

Today, someone asked me what I was reading, and I unashamedly admitted that I was reading a trashy young adult novel – one of my favorite kinds. “Please tell me it doesn’t have vampires,” she replied. “Nope,” I said, “Just witches.” When I first started reading young adult novels, I would reply in embarrassment whenever [...]

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