Image Courtesy of Twinkling Star Online – what a star she is!
I just happened to notice after I hit ‘publish’ on my last post, that my next one would be the 100th on this site. So I decided to make this post a special, slightly self-indulgent, anniversary blog!
I didn’t have any clear idea where I was going when I started this blog on February 9th 2014, only that I needed to write something, anything. Since then this site has evolved into a place where I discuss the trials and tribulations of parenting, share the occasional review of a book or a family day out, take part in a couple of fab weekly writing challenges (if you haven’t checked out the Weekly Limerick Challenge and the Six Word Story Challenge, you really should!) and occasionally rant about political matters whenever my cage has been sufficiently rattled.
And this little blog has come to mean a lot to me. Sitting down to type my user name and password into the WordPress login page means I’m switching off from the real world and losing myself in the world of words. When other aspects of my life – my job, my parenting skills etc – feel decidedly below average, it feels like a real achievement to think that here on this site I’ve managed to put together about 25,000 words which I feel good enough to publish for the entire world to read (Ok, I know the entire world doesn’t read my blog, but the point is that anyone could, and the act of hitting that little blue ‘publish’ button is what makes blogging a real step further than keeping a diary). And 25,000 words (that’s my best guess, I haven’t actually gone back into the last 99 posts and counted) – that’s kind of a lot. Not as much as a novel, sure, but certainly more than anything else I’ve ever written. And in my not-blowing-my-own-trumpet self-deprecating way, I sort of feel pretty good about that.
The best part of my blogging journey has undoubtedly been the fellow bloggers I’ve ‘met’ online. Unlike many other social media networks, the WordPress blogging community has been universally friendly, welcoming and encouraging. It’s part of what motivates me to keep going, seeing what other people are writing about and hearing their feedback on what I’ve written. The blogs I follow have introduced me to environmental issues, different cultures, new political view points, literature, history and so much more. I’d like to mention some of my favourites but there’s too many to do justice in this post – I occasionally reblog some of my favourites, but maybe I’ll do another post soon reviewing some of the best bloggers out there. And I’m delighted to say that Husband and 11YO daughter have both started their own blogs as well, so the enjoyment I get out of my blog is obviously spreading… although it does mean we’re all fighting for the computer some nights. Individual lap tops could be on the horizon.
So my advice to anyone thinking of starting a blog: do it do it do it! I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far, and I’m looking forward to the next 100 posts and more…
a special thanks to the talented TwinklingStarOnline who designed and created my special 100th anniversary logo with some technical wizardry that’s quite beyond me!
kirstwrites 