Blogging has been a personal journey for me. I started because I enjoyed writing and sharing my home and hobbies, and also because I wanted to become more “techy.”
Can an old dog learn new tricks? Well, sure she can! (And who are you calling an old dog?! LOL!) At the point of my life that could have become a mid-life crisis, I decided to take control and make it the beginning of a better me. Where I poured my time and energy into my children for over twenty years, now I had the opportunity to put some towards myself.
Honestly, all this tech stuff has contributed to more than a few headaches. The gears in my head still turn, but they creak and whine. I love it when I figure things out and they become second-nature. But then there are times when something is difficult for me and I put it off until I have the time and willpower to overcome it. Why does this all seem to come so much easier for our kids?
A More Personal Note
Recently, I began sending out an occasional newsletter – over a year after I started my blog. All through my adult life I’ve written newsletters. To my family about my children’s doings and to homeschool families about support group activities. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing, so why was it so hard for me to start one to my subscribers? Part of the answer lies in the techy part. It involves using another service that works differently and was something else to be figured out.
But then there’s the personal aspect. I’m an introvert. Trying to share myself with subscribers that I don’t personally know comes hard for me, but I want to connect with you, so I’m trying.
Where blog posts are out there for the world to see, newsletters can be a little more personal. I’m sure they’ll continue to evolve as I become more comfortable with them.
Writing as Therapy
My daughter is majoring in Psychology and recently wrote a paper entitled “Writing as Therapy” for her English class. She could have been writing about me. I wonder if she knew that?
“Writing can be very powerful. When someone is too stubborn to hear what is spoken, stories can be used to silently persuade. Events can be recorded so that those in the future can learn from the past. Messages can be transcribed with an elegance that the spoken word struggles to capture. But, that is not all that writing can do. Writing can also be very therapeutic in nature, and as such, can be used as a treatment for various mental disorders.” ~ Margaret Curren, “Writing as Therapy,” 2017
Okay, well except for the mental disorder part.
Writing is therapy for me. It’s a way for me to share my experiences in homeschooling, and the uncertainty of what comes next in life. I prefer writing over speaking because it gives me plenty of time to consider what I’m trying to say and how I want to say it.
There are lots of bloggers out there, and I suspect the same holds true for many of them. I’ve even started helping others get started, so if that’s something you’ve been wanting to do, drop me a line.
Changes
There are probably still some homeschooling (and homesteading and gardening) posts to come, but I also like to write about where life takes me. We’ve lived in our current home for ten years, the longest I’ve ever lived in one place, and we’ve been talking about remodeling the whole time. We’re actually starting to do some of that, so I’ll probably share that with you, too. Just today we happened on this beautiful sink at a flea market. It had never been used and had all of the original stickers on it. The original price was $39.95! (We paid quite a bit more than that.) My husband found a sticker on it that said it was from 1962, the year my parents were married.
At one time we had a fancy custom home. Although it was pretty, I found that it stifled my creativity. If I wanted to make any changes, I felt like they needed to be done by a professional. If I had made some cute curtains or repurposed something, it would look out of place. Through that experience, I learned that I prefer a more casual home where I can express my creativity. I’m getting excited about using that creativity as we start some long-awaited updating.
Keep in Touch
If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll consider subscribing so we can get to know each other better. And really, I’d love to hear from you, ladies. Tell me about yourself, what interests we share, and what’s going on in your life. Give me your prayer request. I promise I’ll write back.
Until next time…Michelle
Comments
Love reading your blog
Author
Thank you, and I love hearing from you! 🙂
I LOVE that sink! It will be beautiful in a “new” kitchen.
Author
Thanks, Kathi, I think it will, too. And I love that it’s one-of-a-kind (sort of). I’ve already started designing the kitchen in my mind, and that sink fit right in. Luckily, my husband liked it, too.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. That sink! And I’m a sentimental sap, but I LOVE the fact that it was made the year your parents were married. 🙂 Please, please share updates on the remodel (especially pictures of THAT. SINK!).
Author
LOL! Thanks, Michelle! It’s funny the things we get excited about, isn’t it? I think it’ll be a slow process, but I’ll be excited to share our updates. I like reading about others’ remodels and flea market finds, so I was hoping mine would interest someone, too.
Writing can be therapy…and antique shopping too!
Author
Haha! So true!
It’s always fun to get the story behind the blog. Bloggers are usually such interesting people!
Author
Hey, another Michele! Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of bloggers named Michele/Michelle? Thanks! I would agree! I appreciate you reading and commenting.
I hadn’t noticed, but now that I’m aware of it, I’ll be watching!
Author
It seems like there’s a lot.
I will be looking forward to those remodeling posts! Love your “new” sink and the fact that it was made the same year that your parents married. I live in a ranch style house from the 70s that I am very comfortable in. Still needs some updating in the kitchen but I get used to things and somehow not in a hurry to change. We now have a 100 year old farmhouse and it does need some work! It is in the mountains which the hubs and I adore. We’ve always been drawn to the mountains! I digress. As a mid-lifer with my little girl all grown up it is encouraging to see what others are doing with their lives.
Author
Oh, that all sounds so interesting! I’d love to see what you do. Have you seen Michelle Visser’s blog (another Michelle!), Souly Rested? She lives in a 200 yr old farmhouse and shares some about it. Thanks for connecting! It’s fun to meet another mid-life Michelle, LOL!
I love what your daughter wrote about writing being therapeutic. Totally agree!
PS-Love the sink!
Author
Thank you on both accounts! I’ll pass on the compliment to my daughter.
Great post and I’m so happy you jumped into the blogging pool. It is a very solitary profession and I sometimes miss the fun and social interactions of my former job. I agree with you that writing taps into our creative sides and is therapeutic.
Keep up the good work!
Xo Jonet
Author
Thank you, Jonet!
It could have been me writing this… I’m also filling my empty nest with blogging and the tech stuff is intimidating! I’m also an introvert… Hope to connect with you more Michelle 🙂
Author
Thanks for writing! I’m so glad to hear from you and hear that we have a lot in common. Thank you for connecting with me!