blogging can be a really rewarding activity. the online community can be so uplifting, encouraging, resourceful, informative and many of the people i've "met" online are downright some of the most real and transparent people out there. moreso than the IRL friends i have.
blogging can also be exhausting.
well, not so much the blogging, but the keeping up, commenting, visiting, and making pithy remarks. and should life come along and require me to be more in the moment rather than online, keeping up my cyber-lifestyle takes a direct hit.
that and the fact that i work from home (alone, for the most part), see the same people, do the same activities week after week.
sometimes i feel like my relationship with my blog is parallel with my relationship to the hubs. i see/work/minister with him every day, and sometimes conversation is a challenge when we've been basically glued to each other for the better part of a day. {insert crickets chirping here}
a few weeks of being a blogslacker has landed me in the toilet of comments lately. {hear those crickets?} which has caused me to ask myself why am i here, why do i blog, why do i blogstalk, why?
and i can assure you that these would be the same questions the hubs would ask if he actually knew my blogging activities. he knows i have one, but he's completely disinterested in the greater idea of blogging (thinks it's silly) and considers my cyberactivities to be a ginormous waste of my valuable time.
i don't hardly see it that way, but that's not to say i'm not struggling with it right now. just trying to rebalance my life between a much busier/demanding pace at work, kids home from college, a new bible study, high school ministry and the never ending list of things that require my attention around the house. like feeding and clothing the family and providing an atmosphere that is relatively free of dirt and grime, to name a few.
communication is a passion of mine {if the amount i talk is even remotely an indicator, i'd say passion is putting it mildly} and my goal in the next six months will be to discover how i can channel my passion into a paycheck. i've got some ideas mulling around.
in the interim, i'm going to be working on finding a good mojo for my responsibilities so that i can squeeze in all the things i want/need to do.
if i've been remiss in blogstalking/commenting lately, it's nothing personal. just trying to do the right things…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
5 days ago
But, the right thing IS visiting my blog and leaving a comment!
ReplyDelete;)
Today's post was kind of lame. That's what a night of thunderstorms will cause. Not a thought in my head of any depth or concern...well, I guess I am concerned about the LSU thing...
It's not always easy. It can be rewarding but I also feel pressure to please. I have been sitting here for 10 hours now and I haven't read everyone yet. I don't want to let people down or stop following them but is this living? I thought I was doing pretty good but now I am overwhelmed again. I wish you success.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog today from a comment you made on Just Like Camping. Nice to meet you. Your blog is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI've just recently dipped my toe into the social side of blogging and find it to be sooooo much fun. But, I agree with your point that it is WORK. Fun work. But still work.
It sounds like you've got a right focus/perspective and I really appreciate the honest admission that sometimes taking care of a blog IS high maintenence!!
Whatever you do, don't disappear! You are invaluable to me! Maybe that's selfish, but it's true. You're like my bloggy mama.
ReplyDeleteit is hard to juggle, that is for sure. i get overwhelmed by it all. but i know i have to keep at it---it's gonna lead to something for me, even if i'm not sure what that something is....
ReplyDeleteI completely understand. For the past year or so, I realized I'd been stresed because I wasn't keeping up with my blog, email and facebook the same way I used to. Then I realized how much my lie has changed in the past year, especailly with regard to work. Now I don't have the time to put into blogging like I used to. I'm trying to not beat myself up about it and just post when I have a few minutes to spare. I also am not reading all the blogs I used to. I was reading so much that I could no longer enjoy each blog. It was just too much material! (Honestly, I'd probably read it all if that were possible, but I realized I had to cut myself off at somepoint.)
ReplyDeleteThis echoes what I've been feeling lately. Since I jumped back into blogging regularly and keep finding more and more blogs to read, I've realized just how time consuming it is. The writing part is actually the easiest for me, but I cannot keep up with blog reading and commenting. I have noticed lots of blogs slowing down on the posting now that it's summer, and that's almost a relief - less to keep up with, lol. I want to keep up with the reading, that's the part I love, but there aren't enough hours in the day, and now with my kids out of school, it seems really selfish to take what little free time I have and spend it online.
ReplyDeleteBalance is so hard to achieve!
I hear ya! My hubby thinks blogging is such a waste of time and energy. I really enjoy blogging and finding new things, but it does take a lot of time and energy to keep up with posts and comments! I agree that some sort of balance is needed. I try to catch up on my blog reading late at night when the kiddos are sleeping. Then I don't feel so guilty for not spending time with them. There are many days when I feel like deleting my blog and just disappearing from blogland, but I really do enjoy sharing my random posts and reading everyone else. I just need a few extra hours each day for blogging:-)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel. I love blogging and the relationships, but sometimes, I get burned out by the obligation with everything. I've often wondered what would happen if I just walked away. I know I would miss it eventually, but man, it's tempting sometimes.
ReplyDelete