I really missed the old blogging days. I haven’t written anything on this blog for a while now. Actually, I published my last post on March 15, 2021. Today is March 12, 2023. I have just realized that it has been 2 years of silence. I need to shamefully admit that I have abandoned my blog during these last few years. As always, life got busier than ever. Or at least this is something we all tell ourselves to justify our procrastination.
I wanted to write so many times, but often the uninspiring question popped into my head: “what do you write after a long silence”? Even if I knew what I was willing to write about, I was getting doubts like “would it be interesting for others to read about this?”
Blogging is a relationship. It is like a constant conversation with your friend. When you haven’t been in touch with your friend for a long time, it becomes really awkward even to think of talking again, and the moment you meet, it looks like there is nothing to talk about. This way, distance grows. Distance creates differences. Differences suppress emotions. This is how a beautiful relationship is killed.
Many things have changed since I wrote the last blog post. I was busy with my integrative nutrition studies for a long time and became a certified health coach. This was the main reason I had less time to blog. To tell the truth, I had abandoned many things I love to do, like photography, scrapbooking, documenting, drawing, trying out recipes, and creating new ones. I also read way less than before. My kids had some critical years too. So I tried to be as involved in their lives as I could. When they were smaller, I organized all their after-school activities so that it would be one driving for me. Now I drive them and pick them up from different locations on the same evening. Mama’s taxi is busy every afternoon.
Everything takes time and leaves less for things we love. And on the top, there comes procrastination. It is easier to open Instagram and see what others are doing than do something yourself.
But I am here again, trying to rebuild this relationship.
I am here confessing- I miss the old blogging days. Thank you for telling me you are missing my posts, asking why I have stopped writing, and encouraging me to write again. It means the world to me.
It is a pity that over the past years, blogging became a profitable business showcasing gifted items, promoting products as affiliate marketing, and hidden or direct ads… I hate seeing or reading all these fantastic things about something that influencers clearly have been paid for. Blogging has drifted from its initial purpose of informal diary-style text entries that build a relationship with the audience and create community. It has become a big part of the digital marketing business. All this is not for me.
I have been questioning what blogging is for me and why I do it. It is a big motivational push to organize myself better, learn, and do activities that are not on my daily priority list but elevate everyday life.
So why do I write? There are three great impulses to write for me.
Sheer egoism
To share something, you need to have what to share. This pushes me to study, learn, read, investigate, photograph, discover, invent, and try new things. It makes me enquire and gives me the inspiration to ask questions as well as seek answers.
Another egoistic reason is English practice. I am not a native English speaker, and writing in English is my way of pushing myself to practice it more. Simple as that.
Because of this, even if no one is reading my writings, my goal is achieved.
Aesthetic enthusiasm
I have a deeply rooted aesthetic motive to share my perception of the beauty of the external world, beautiful nature, things, food, and alluring living. I use photography, drawing, and documenting as my creative outlet. It is a triple pleasure. First, spot some things or develop an idea, create something aesthetically appealing like a photo or a cooking recipe, and finally share that experience with others. Thus blogging pushes me to search for aesthetics and beauty in everyday life and receive pleasure from this process.
Desire to share
It is a great feeling to share things that you know and things you’ve learned about. We feel the desire to share because we are looking for empathy. We are looking for like-minded people who can relate to us and who could share the same feelings about whatever it is that you are sharing. Sharing is what makes us humans. We are a very social species. Our evolutionary success is based on sharing. Sharing is an act of kindness and an opportunity to create a connection. It is like an “around the campfire” situation where you share an experience together, and it bonds you, especially if it interests us in the same way.
I really miss blogging. I am so happy I finally broke the silence and shared my thoughts on this beautiful spring day. Spring is when life is alive in everything. It is a season of new beginnings and life emerging from hibernation. It will be a season of the revival of writing, photography, and aesthetic enthusiasm for me.
