Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Ten years ago on this date, I tentatively wrote my first post on this virtual ‘thing’ I thought was cool, but knew very little about. It was a very early version of Blogger and danged if I could figure out how to post words and a photo at the same time.

So I introduced myself and the blog. I hit ‘Post.’ Then, when I figured it out, I posted a photo on a separate post.

And that was the beginning of this blog. My husband was my biggest supporter, telling me every day leading up to that first post to ‘Stop talking about it and do  it!” He’s still my biggest supporter, telling everyone we meet how wonderful my blog is, what a amazing group of readers I have (true, that) and that I’ve been published 3 times. I get embarrassed, but gosh darn it, I love that he’s proud of me and my blog.

What would I do without him?

In the beginning, I wrote about 3 times a week. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. About 7 years ago, I started to post every day. To be honest, those were tough times for us financially, and the impulse to post every day was to get more hits and, therefore, more ad income. But a funny thing happened. I grew to love the discipline of it, the challenge of finding something to write about every day, even on those days when the last thing I wanted to do was write. It was good for me. It became part of my morning ritual. Since then, I’ve missed very few posts and those I’ve missed have largely been due, sadly, to loss. My father-in-law. Riley. My mother. My father. Scout.

The intentions I had when I started the blog remain the same today: to share my life here in our little cottage in the country, to talk frankly about my passions, my fears, our ups and downs, to write about animals, about birds, about flowers and trees and butterflies and insects, about my work as a coach, about my husband, my family, books, reading, collecting, decorating, photography, handwork, and my passionate pleas for our democracy and kindness and tolerance and gun control and animal rights…I’m sure there’s more.

I’m at a good place with the blog and I’ve written about that fairly recently. It is what it is, and I don’t say that in anything but a happy and peaceful way. I’m done chasing something that I found I never really wanted. I don’t care about huge ‘numbers’ or anything like that. I have never been a niche blogger – I would be bored to tears writing about just one thing!

I am who I am and I like who I am. I like this blog. I like you.

Readers have come and gone. Some have been here a very long time, some less, and some are newer readers. Some left in a huff when I wrote bout the upcoming election and my fears about the Republican candidate. Those fears, and much worse, have come true. Anyway, everyone is free to come and go, to read or not read.

I’ll just keep speaking from my heart. It it’s controversial, so be it, thought to be honest, that happens rarely.

Ten years! Except for my freelance coaching work, which has been ongoing for over 30 years, I’ve never held a job that long. I worked in an office in Detroit for 7 years before I made the decision to change my life and go to grad school. I taught at Boston University for 5 years. I taught at the University of San Diego/Old Globe for 8 years. Blogging for 10 years? A miracle!

Back to you.

The friends I have made through this blog, the kindness of my readers, the times when life has been tough for me and you have responded in ways that made me cry and thank the heavens for your presence, the times you’ve made me laugh and the many times you’ve shared wise counsel? Priceless.

Thank you. The pleasure is all mine.

Happy Saturday.