I’m Back…?

Well you can’t say that I didn’t warn you! I told you I’m great at starting things, but not so great at following through. So I’ve taken a bit of a writing hiatus from my blog. Shortly after I started it, I began writing monthly articles for an online magazine called Writ Magazine. I haven’t had a regular deadline for my writing in a very long time, and I found it rather exhausting. Even though I was enjoying it, I didn’t feel like I had a lot of brain space or creativity left over for my own blog.

Now I am on a hiatus from writing there, so I am venturing back into the blogsphere. In the meantime, I have been running around being mom to my busy boy, trying out some new hobbies, and started my own business (no, I haven’t quit that yet). You can learn more about my business venture here.

My son just turned one, so I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the last year. It was painfully hard in places, but also immensely joyful. Such a range of emotions and experiences that I had always hoped to one day have. Yes, I still miss my sleep. But last night as I was getting up for the third time after bed, I thought to myself how in the back of my mind I was a little bit excited to go pick up my son, despite my exhaustion. Let me tell you, that is saying something.

So back to the blog, I really enjoy writing, but I often wonder if I really have anything that other people want to read. I find it really easy to rant, it comes naturally. I tend to be a little bit cynical and even negative at times. Over the last year I have found myself focusing much more on the positive. Especially when it comes to the power of words.

Since having my son, I have begun to follow a lot of mommy blogs, especially through their Facebook pages. I am always shocked and horrified by the comment sections on these blogs. Some of the “moms” on these pages are just plain cruel to the author, to each other. It really drives me crazy. I even wrote an article about it. 

The experience of reading these comments, was one of the main things that led me to thinking about the positive impact that words can have for encouragement, or the negative impact they can have and the pain they can cause. I’m not saying I will never rant, Because I want to be real, and sometimes people just need to vent. What I am saying is, I want to be more focused on my blessings than my burdens, I read that somewhere recently and it really struck a chord with me. It is such a good reminder, not because you might bring others down, or because you should fake a smile and hide the hard stuff. It is because a spirit of thanksgiving fosters true joy, no matter the circumstances. By focusing more on your blessings, you will be blessed. 

On social media, it’s really easy to get riled up and share negative and inflammatory posts. After a while, all the negativity starts to seep into your heart and affect your mood and attitude. I still get riled up at things I read online, and I’ve even started and deleted ranting posts about it. But you know what I’ve discovered? It’s really no harder to post the positive, to motivate, and encourage. It might take a little more thoughtfulness and intentionality, but the benefits far exceed the effort.

I’m hoping you will follow along on my journey and that maybe I can encourage you and you can encourage me in my writing by being willing to read it and share your own thoughts and experiences with me.

Thanks for reading.