Monday, August 22, 2011

Two Years of Blogging!

It's been two years since I started this blogging (ad)venture.  Well, I'd actually started it the December before, but that beginning was marked by a single post that went unaccompanied by any others for eight months, when I began to write here in some earnest.  I took a quick look at some statistics on my blog the other day, and realize that I post eight days out of every ten; that average has been brought down somewhat by my less frequent blog posts in the last couple of months, but I hope that this can change back again as life continues to settle down.
I had no idea, in those early days of blogging, how much I would come to love being here.  I've known for a long time that I enjoy writing, but I had no idea that I would like writing for other people to read it.  In fact, for the first couple of months I wrote the blog only for myself, and it was with fear and trepidation that I finally opened it up to more public viewing.
I don't blog nearly as often as I'd like to...which may be hard to believe, given that I post quite regularly.  There's always lots percolating in my brain and I often have ideas that I never get to because I have only so much time to do this.  So many ideas never even get to the page.  My window for writing closed a little further when Seth began waking up at/before 6:00am; prior to this, my private time of the day occurred between 6:00-7:15 am.  I dearly miss that time, and so I now end up blogging at night, when I should probably be sleeping.
Like many people, I wish I could write a book.  I hate stating that publicly because it's likely a dream that I won't every accomplish, but in lieu of being able to actually write a book, it honestly feels like I need to be here.  This is my outlet.  It's a way of self-expression, a way of receiving support from all of you who leave me comments or send me emails, and a manner of chronicling bits of our lives.  Mostly I just like putting words to paper.
I always fear what people will think of what I write, and of how I write it; that fear has lessened over time, but it's still there every time I publish something.  But from the beginning I decided that I would work hard at being fairly authentic about what I write - there are certainly layers of authenticity in everyone, but I'm working at peeling them back.

I've been asked numerous/many times since bringing the younger kids home why I keep blogging and I've addressed this here once before.  Many blogs focus on the adoption journey up to the point of bringing kids home and then gradually taper off until there's no blog left any more; quite a few people have expressed surprise that my blog has continued.  My response is that my blog was never intended to be exclusively about adoption.  Of late, of course, I've written a lot about adoption-related topics, but my blog is more than that to me.  I love to write about my kids beyond the adoption topic, about parenting, about h/schooling, about ideas I'm thinking through, and lots of other stuff.  Life is the fodder of my blog, and I love it.
So thank you for being here.  Thank you for you support.  Thank you to the 92 who have pressed the "follow" button on my blog - I look at those little pictures and/or names and I write for you.  Thank you for reading my insufficient words.  Also, though I never want anyone to feel pressured to comment on my blog (I am not a comment counter!), I thank you so very, very much for your comments, which have been so encouraging to me.  Even the one non-supportive comment that I received by an anonymous blogger (see comments after this post) was helpful because, after initially causing me some grief, it helped me crystallize my thoughts enough to formulate a response that I felt good about.  In some of the really hard days of June and July, in the weeks after we brought the kids home, I would sit in my bed late at night, crying out of despair and exhaustion, and I would read over and over the comments that were left on my blog and the emails sent to me in response to something I'd posted.  Without fail, your words of response have helped me.

I'm looking forward to the next two years of blogging and invite you to continue to travel with me on this journey we call life.  There is so much yet to explore, so much to appreciate about life, so much to talk about, so much to learn about living each day to the fullest.  I can hardly wait!

6 comments:

  1. So glad you are blogging-I come back because I love your authenticity.

    I find that blogging helps me put my thoughts in order a bit, and I love that I can get feedback from others because it challenges me. I've missed blogging this summer, but looking forward to more real blog posting this fall.

    Keep on posting! :)

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  2. I am so glad you have continued to post now that your kids are home Ruth! I'm looking forward to the next two years (and more) of "Ruth's Rambles"!

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  3. I have so enjoyed reading your posts over the last two years. You have brought me to tears and made me laugh more times than I can count! What you wrote today about how you read and re-read comments from June/July for support was very timely, because I've been meaning to tell you that I've done the same with many of your posts.
    I really value your views on parenting and there has been many a time that reading one of your posts has hit home and made me step back, gain perspective and face my eldest daughter's tantrums with what I hope is more patience and love (I don't always manage, but I am trying!) I tried your idea of sitting in her room with her while she tantrumed yesterday (like you did with Seth) so that she doesn't feel like she is being pushed away or rejected when she has big emotions. So thank YOU Ruth- you are so appreciated, and you've probably touched more lives than you could ever realize.

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  4. OK, Kristin, now it's YOU who brought ME to tears...especially 'cause I think you're a terrific Mom, and someone that I greatly respect/like/admire. I'm so watery that I'm glad that I can type without looking at the keys, b/c I can't see very well! Thank you for saying what you did...it means a lot.


    And Sharon, thanks also for your comment - I'm looking forward to seeing you blog more again, too!!

    Blessings all,

    Ruth

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  5. Hey Ruth!

    I know I have mentioned this to you before, but I really think you should write a book when life settles down. Maybe this blog is not only a great outlet, but awesome practice! Thanks for your blog! I enjoy reading it immensely! Happy 2nd blogiversary!
    Tracey

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