A Good Journey

/ Ann Coleman

It doesn’t seem possible, but according to my calendar, it has been exactly two years since I started this blog.  I can still remember how nervous I was about putting my writing on the internet where anyone and everyone could not only read it, but also comment on it.  I spent weeks writing and rewriting several short essays about being middle aged, just so I would have something to publish even when writer’s block struck.  I worried that no one would want to read my blog, and then I worried that lots of people would read it, but hate it.  And tell me exactly why in my comment section.  But eventually, with the constant encouragement (and occasional nagging) of a good friend, I sat down at the computer and wrote my first post.

Although I’ve been writing almost my entire life, I didn’t really understand what writing a blog entailed.  I knew that blogging meant I would have to find the motivation to write regular posts, to read and respond to any comments that were made, and that I’d probably have to deal with a fair amount of spam.  I knew I had to learn blogging terminology, such as widgets, tags, themes, etc.  It all sounded very confusing, but I believed I would figure it out eventually, and I was mostly right about that.  Above all, I knew that I was venturing into new territory and trying something that I had never done before.  There was a very real risk that it wouldn’t work out at all, and then I would just have to hope that no one ever asked me, “Whatever happened to that blog you started?”  I already had more than my share of failure in my writing career, and didn’t want to add to it.

But my blog didn’t fail.  I wrote my posts on a regular schedule; a small (but very much appreciated) group of people read them and often left encouraging comments, and with each passing month, my confidence grew.  I began adding photos to my posts and venturing out into other topics besides coping with middle age.  Slowly but surely, I found the courage to share my real opinions, thoughts and experiences, and discovered how liberating it is to be true to myself rather than writing only what I thought others wanted to read.  In many ways, that confidence has spilled over to other areas of my life as well.

Beyond that, the connections I’ve made through my blog have been a wonderful, if unexpected, gift.  My regular readers include friends from my past and family who live far away, and I love being in closer contact with them.  I’ve met terrific new people from all over the world, whose opinions I have come to value.  I may not have met any of them in person, but many feel like friends.

Of course there have been the tough times, when something technical isn’t working with my blog, or when I stare at my computer screen and think, “Well that’s it, you’ve finally run out of ideas!  Time to quit!”   But I don’t quit, because my blog has become too important to me to abandon.  I’m writing regularly and more confidently than I ever have before, and I’m interacting with many terrific people.  Honestly, I like where my blog has led me so far, and I plan to stick around to see where the journey leads next.

60 thoughts on “A Good Journey”

  1. And I’m so glad you plan to continue…I love it so much that I turn off NPR just so I can read it and not be distracted!! I think you are a terrific writer Ann and I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know you. xoxo

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  4. I have made the same experience in blogging.By writing posts regularly, you improve your writing, you enrich your life and increase the circle of friends. Congratulations on two years of blogging!

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  5. Your blog, I think, is the first one I ever followed and I will never stop following it, so please keep writing, Ann! I didn’t see your very first post until today. I think that’s because I didn’t come on the blogging scene until much later. I also remember when your posts started sounding stronger and stronger in your own, unique voice. I don’t remember the particular post, the date or any details like that, I just remember thinking “Ann is coming into her own” and both admiring and envying you for it. I truly look forward to all of your posts and I’m never let down, whether they are funny or serious or somewhere in between. Thank you for putting yourself out there, Ann!

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    • Oh, thank you Kim! I don’t remember exactly when we connected either, or how I found your blog, but I do remember being impressed with it from the very first. What drew me was not only your writing skill, but your honest and authentic voice. It was part of what gave me to courage to risk being more genuine as well. Keep going, Kim!

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  7. “My blog has become too important to me to abandon”. This is great line and expression of how much our blogs become to us. I have experienced the same emotions you have over your blog as I have with Golden Kali. I do feel pressured at times to post and I wish I posted more often. But I can never imagine abandoning the Golden Kali blog because it is as big a part of my life as Kali is and I would never abandon her.

    Great reflections on your part that has helped to reinforce to me that my blog is now a part of me forever.
    So thank you for that!

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    • It really is life changing, isn’t it? I’ve eased up on my schedule (I used to post every four days, no excuses!), but I still try to do twice a week where possible, and once a week at the absolute minimum. The discipline is good, and it is also a way to acknowledge the importance of our blogs in our lives. And thank for all your support and comments….and for sharing Kali and Kloe with us!

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  10. Your own experiences with blogging are largely echoed in my own, Ann, with the cumulative result of the past two (and a bit) years having proven far more rewarding that I’d initially anticipated. In particular, I’m so gratified by the sense of friendship and community that builds over time, and the hostility one hears so much of on Twitter and the like, has been – in my experience, and I hope yours too – almost non-existent.

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    • I had no idea there even was such a thing as a blogging community when I first started, but it was a happy discovery! I’ve been very lucky in my interactions with other bloggers as well. The comments are usually positive, and even when they disagree (which is a good thing, actually), they are always respectful in providing a different point of view. It makes for interesting discussion, rather than arguments. Thanks for being one of the people whose comments I always look forward to!

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  11. Well done on the two years, Ann. It sounds as though your blogging journey has some similarities to mine (and many other folks, of course!) in that over the months since I began I have expanded the topics I write on – really finding out what I really want to write about.

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  12. Happy Annivesary! I loved this post… it’s honesty, its depth and it’s insight help me as I am beginning my blogging journey (I started out this fall). It helps give me confidence to continue on my own writing (and likewise muddled middle aged, for that matter!!) journey. I so look forward to more from you.

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    • Well, my schedule has reduced a bit. At first I published every four days, no matter what. Now it’s roughly twice a week, but when I have a really busy week, I give my self permission to do once a week…and I’m much happier now! As for the ideas, I basically just draw from what is going on in my life at the moment, and what I’m feeling about it. It’s not nearly as informative or interesting as your blog, but it’s all I’ve got!

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  18. Two years!!! Really? Funny that we started out blogs writhing weeks of each other and it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. Congratulations on your Anniversary!!!
    You know how I feel about you and your writing, Ann, so your last line made me smile. I’m glad you plan on sticking around a while longer. The place wouldn’t be the same without you here..:)

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    • I didn’t know we started at the same time! Thanks, George, for being one of my blogging friends whose opinion I value the most (and not just because you are so unfailingly nice.) You always bring an interesting and thoughtful perspective to the table, and honestly, among all the blog posts I have ever read, one of the best was the one about your grandson’s cancer. Second to that was the one about this year’s election. Don’t ever stop writing!

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  20. Congratulations on your milestone, Ann! You were one of the first bloggers that I stumbled across, and your warmth and wisdom was immediately evident. I really enjoy reading your posts – your writing voice is so unique and friendly. Thank you 😊

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  23. I’m so glad to have met you here Ann, in the blogging world. You are a wonderful writer and your blog is such an honest refreshing dose of real life that I so often relate to. How fortunate we are to have this platform where we can share our lives. Happy blogging my friend, now and well into the future.

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  25. Well I, for one, am very happy that you made that decision. I don’t remember when I found your blog, but have always loved it. The decision to start mine was a difficult one, as well. Here’s to many more years of our writing and blog-friendship!

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  26. Congrats on this milestone! I don’t comment as often as I’d like to, but I always enjoy your posts, your straightforward style, and your humor. Hope you keep on blogging in the years to come!

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