Ten years ago, I started blogging as an often-lonely stay-at-home-mom with very small children, looking to connect with other quilters and moms. Over the years, I have made a few steadfast blog friends, was inspired to improve my photography, and give knitting a try! Wow, sometimes the path of life takes a huge curve that you don't see coming. I would never have anticipated how learning to knit would change my life.
As my kids have grown, as I've spent more time in my garden, and as I have become, let's be honest, completely consumed by knitting, my blogging has become hit and miss. As I saw favorite blogs post their last farewells, I was reluctant to close my own, even when I had not much to say. The shuttering of some favorite sites can probably also be contributed in part to the use of many other social media platforms, which left blogging in the dust.
However, the last two years of social media has left me completely burnt out on this level of fast, post-before-you-think sort of communication. I used to view the craft-centered websites I followed as a reprieve from the constant barrage of negative news flowing in on our 24/7 TV and radio. Sadly, that is no longer the case. I do agree that people should use their platforms to promote what they believe, but promoting beliefs used to mean setting examples of what is well-considered, truthful, helpful, right. Now, I am astonished at some of the unkind things that friends and loved ones post, the kind of thing I know they wouldn't have said at the dinner table.
It's going to take me a few months but I am slowly working my way out of obligations that require me to visit these sites. Instead, I am working on building relationships with the real people in my neighborhood and daily circles. I plan to replace quick, thoughtless clicks with the sort of thoughtfully written blogs that I find to be full of encouragement and beautiful crafts, photos and people. The truth is, relationship is really what matters to me, and better a well-chosen, small pool of friends than many thousands of followers and "Friends" on my profile. This is not to say I don't value comments and readers I'll never meet; just that I hope you will find reprieve here.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for bearing with me.
Off my soap box and on to beauty: everyone in the house is enjoying the new bird feeder, which brings cheerful little friends by every day!
Well, first of all -- Happy Ten Years! And what a great post. "Post-before-you-think" is SO on the mark -- like you, I'm getting tired of it all. And the politics and navel gazing are just toooo much sometimes. I just want to see beautiful things (what an inspiration your beautiful pictures and knitting have been!) and, like you said, people. If only the world could be as perfect as we want it to be LOL!
ReplyDeleteKaren
ReplyDeleteI love this and feel as if our hearts are "fluttering" in the same direction. I loved it when I began blogging back in 2008, and the commenting "friends" were and still are real life people I think of from time to time and wonder how they are doing. Unfortunately, many of them no longer blog. My non-judgmental decree is I have never done facebook and I tried Instagram and found it gave stress instead of joy. Blogging is like keeping a scrapbook of my days and meeting lovely people at the same time. I have no interest in doing a you tube channel and I do not want to make money from a blog or any other kind of social media
I love to knit, but this summer I have spent more time in the garden and embroidery has been the needlecraft I have picked up from time to time.
Please keep blogging.