The 10 year re-start

As I started to write this post I realized that exactly ten years ago today, March 25, 2010, I created the Small Simple Things of Life blog on BlogSpot. Today I had the intention of writing a post on the practice of restarting something that’s been abandoned for a period of time, mainly this blog, and discussing the origins of the blog and it’s progression and regression over time.  How timely, I have to think, that this anniversary coincides with this post.  Perhaps in my mind I knew that today was the anniversary and then again perhaps this is one of those divinely guided moments. At any rate 10 years ago this blog entered the blogosphere and I’ve enjoyed writing and posting here and look forward to many more years of writing words that bring readers peace and joy!

On that day ten years ago I shared the following:

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Sometimes I have these sudden quick thoughts that I need to write down quickly before they slip from my mind and I hope this blog will be a way to do that. I also want to be able to share pictures, family news, and other ideas.

So, now that I’ve stated my purpose let me explain the title…Early in January we had two nights with temperatures in the teens. I lost many of my plants because they just couldn’t take the hard freeze. About a week later we had a fairly mild day and when I got home that day I just had to go outside for a while. I have chrysanthemums in the two planters as you walk up to the front door and I noticed some green underneath them so I decided to trim them back. Imagine my surprise as I found that they were coming out very nicely from the bottom. As I trimmed back the second one, I was really surprised because there was a tiny chrysanthemum bloom! I was just awestruck that something so tiny and fragile had managed to survive and to bloom in spite of the cold weather. This little blossom just lifted my spirits and I felt so renewed. I felt I had to preserve the moment and ran inside to get the camera. As I snapped pictures in the late evening light Lacey came up to see what I was doing and I caught her in the picture above. I realized that it is the small, simple things of life that bring joy and peace.”

In the early days of my writing I blogged frequently sharing many things including family events and pictures (which I later decided for privacy reasons not to share). I wrote for myself, just as I intended, capturing thoughts and pictures I wanted to preserve.  I wrote without much thought to structure and as I look back I think in horror – did I write that? I wrote what came from my heart and mind. Then, after I picked up readers and found other bloggers I decided that I needed more structure and refinement.  I found myself spending more time composing and trying to have just the right pictures. I also felt that I had to write what others wanted to read and to be careful not to post anything that might offend. In time I switched to WordPress and got my own domain.  I was thrilled to have more flexibility with layout and content; I had good intentions of developing a great blog.

Fast forward.  It didn’t work out that way.  I blogged less and less.  I had thoughts, words to share, but they never got put together. Other bloggers that I enjoyed left blogging for social media and I missed them. Social media enticed me, too.  Life’s worries blocked me from doing what I needed to be doing:  writing. Somewhere in time my creativity went to sleep. I tried several times to re-start the blog with firm resolution to post regularly, but no matter the good intentions and New Year’s resolutions it just didn’t happen.  However, I knew that I didn’t want to say goodbye to the blog; too much of me is in it.

Many years ago I had a messy bicycle accident while on a family bike ride in a residential subdivision.  My excuse was that I was inexperienced riding a bike with thin tires and hand brakes.  After I recovered sufficiently another family ride was proposed.  With great reluctance I managed to get on the bike and ride while constantly feeling the pavement coming up to meet my face again.  In a way, today I’m getting back on the bike.

Truthfully, the blog has not been painful and unpleasant like the bike accident was, but it is taking a little resolve and commitment to resume. It’s hard to return to something you’ve haven’t done regularly for a while, but I also know that after the unfamiliar becomes familiar again that the activity returns to its previous state. Perhaps a better analogy is returning home after a long trip and having to reacquaint yourself with your own home. I know the blog very well, but it’s the practice of sitting down and letting the words flow that I need to reacquaint myself with and become comfortable doing when I feel words coming to me.

Yes, these words are for me.  No, this may not be very well structured, but I have tried to use good grammar and not end sentences with prepositions! These are my thoughts and that’s what I want to share here.  So welcome home, Beth, your blog is officially re-started!