2 Years of Blogging

Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of Holly Goes Lightly. This is a major feat for me! I rarely stick with ANYTHING more than, say, a week. For instance, I’ve been making curtains for our playroom. I have three up. There are four curtains still to be made. I started 6 months ago.

Because it’s my blog’s anniversary, I feel obliged to mention how often I consider quitting. Do you want to know why? You don’t care and you think I’m full of it? Maybe so, but I’m going to write about it anyway.

1. I have a rather humdrum life: The most interesting thing that happened to me this week? I found a $40 bra I’d been missing for two years wedged beneath my dresser. John had always found its sudden disappearance mysterious. After I pulled it out, Ella immediately put it on her head and ran around the house screaming “Minnie Mouse!” And I was so happy to be reunited with it, I let her. In other words, life is a little dull around here. Which doesn't help for making interesting blog posts.

2. I’m horribly self-conscious. Which is an extreme form of narcissism. And narcissism is something that shouldn’t be fostered. A friend recently wondered why I never mentioned her in my blog. To which I got all excited- “You don’t mind if I mention you in my blog???” Because, I’ve found, some people don’t like their name or picture spread all over the internet. I don’t know why. In defense of what may seem to be extreme narcissism, I’m very sensitive about respecting others’ privacy; however, it limits my writing to me, my husband, random people at the supermarket, and my dog. As Caleb gets older, I have to be more careful about what I say about him. He deserves to have his privacy respected, too. This is really just a small part of a major discussion about sharing one’s life in such a public way- the ethics behind it, etc.- issues that fester in my self-conscious brain. (Case in point- take a look at this blogging nightmare.)

3. My readership is down! Way down. Fizzling. For several reasons: 1) My domain change debacle, 2) fewer posts being published, and 3) I dunno. Fading away.

Of course, there are some lovely things about blogging. Some days, I feel like telling everyone, “YOU should have a blog! It’s cathartic! A great outlet! We could be bloggy buds!” Here are some of the reasons I stick with it on a semi-regular basis:

1. Connections all over: I love the friendships I’ve made because of this blog. I won’t go into specifics, but I’ve met (virtually and in the flesh) some amazing people. And the blog has opened up doors to actual writing jobs, which is crazy and strange and great.

2. Maintaining a habit of writing: Having a blog forces me to sit in front of the keyboard and write SOMETHING. This was always my biggest obstacle pre-blog- just sitting down and doing something.

3. One clean, well-lighted space: I clean the house, decorate it, change things around, and within 30 minutes it becomes completely trashed. I love having this little corner where I’m entirely in control. I AM THE BLOG ADMINISTRATOR. I can come and go as I please, and everything stays just the way I left it. And that is a wonderful thing.

Anyway, thanks for reading. The readers of my blog are far superior to the readers of other blogs.