Thursday, June 26, 2014

10 times around the sun

This may seem a little hard to believe - it sure seems unbelievable to even write it - but 10 years ago today, I started this blog (first entry here.)

It was a pretty humble little thing when it started, and it's pretty much still a humble little thing today. Which is as it should be, because I don't think I've changed a whole lot in the ensuing decade.

Sure, I've gotten a little older. You can tell from the slivers of gray that our youngest son has confirmed now increasingly dominate my head. And the crows feet that splay out from the corners of my eyes. But they're both results of the fact that I lead a delightfully full life, and I smile a lot.

The blog has become a personal journal, of sorts, an open-to-the-public glimpse into the moments of my life that I've decided to share with y'all. We've lost my dad and my mother-in-law. We've put our cat down and added a dog, who then got sick but is still very much filling our lives with noise and joy. We've made friends and lost a few along the way. Life, in a word, happened.

A little thing called social media also grew up in the interim, and some of the discussions that used to take place in the comments section now seem to take place on Facebook, Twitter or whatever other platform has been deemed hot this week.

Indeed, blogging is no longer considered "hot", no longer considered a front-line, leading edge example of online savviness. Calling yourself a "blogger" no longer instantly identifies you as a member of the digerati. There are those who now see it as the next MySpace, as something that was once central but is no longer so.

And yet, I continue to write. Because unlike Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, this remains my little corner of the world. My sequential, virtual notebook that often invites me to dig into the archives for a sepia-toned look back in time. It takes me to moments when my kids were younger, when all of our parents were still alive, when I still had dreams of someday becoming a journalist who did meaningful work that I loved to do.

These days, I'm living that dream. When I started this blog, I was looking ahead to a day when I'd live by the output of my pen. I'm doing that now, and I now look back on the day when I decided to leave the traditional path behind. We'll leave existential discussions about career and life choices for another day, but through it all this blog has been the journal of record of this journey.

I still don't know where this journey will take me next, but I do know there's a lot more in me to share. And as long as there's someone out there willing to read, I'll keep sharing it here. Because writing is what I do. I knew that 10 years ago. And now that I've had a decade to think about it, I realize it's more than just what I do. It's who I am.

To a certain extent, so is Written Inc.

I wonder what the next 10 years will bring. If it's anything like the past 10, there's a lot of great writing ahead. I hope you'll all continue to be part of the journey.

Onward...

11 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

Congratulations on reaching this 10 year milestone, May there be many more to come.

Cynthia J. Coleman said...

Happy anniversary! Hope there are many more years to come!

kenju said...

I will be here as long as you are - or until death parts us.

Janice said...

Carmi, I completely agree with you. A lot has changed in the past 10 years with the hip social media platform changing weekly. I have seen a lot of blogs started and abandoned, but I still love my place in the world where I can let my feelings and thoughts flow out of me. Thanks for sharing my friend.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Hippo Bird Day, Carmi's Blog!
~

Thumper said...

I'm very glad you're still blogging. So many people just stopped...my feed is missing all those "real" blogs that were funny and personal. I hope you're here for at least 10 more years, even if it's just to amuse me ;)

Max Sartin said...

Glad you're here, and I hope you stay. Blogs do seem to be "the old way", and I have to admit to spending more time on Facebook than I used to, but I still like the blog format better. Bloggers get to chart their own course of conversation, it's a closer reflection of who we are. Facebook gets pulled every which way by each of the people you friend. I like that because I get to see what everyone is doing/thinking in one place, but I have to filter through all the carp I'm not interested in. Blogging is a much calmer medium.

Alexia said...

Congratulations, Carmi - and may you have the time, the opportunity and the inclination to carry on for another 10!

sisterAE said...

A belated happy blogiversary to you! I have some regrets about not posting much in my own, but would not give up the things that fill my time instead these days. Thanks for being part of my routine. I appreciate your take on the world.
Amy (aka sisterAE)

21 Wits said...

I for one am very happy I stumbled upon your little humble blog. In fact your Written Inc is the very first blog I joined to follow with my all, (you never forget your first anything) and I've met other folks from here which follow me as well, and a few bloggers that followed me hopped on TP too! We are a blogging family. Carmi, I sincerely hope you continue to post here for another 10 years for sure. At least. Hehehe! Like my mother always said you have few friends but many acquaintances in life, and make good with what you have. Count me as a lifer! :)

me said...

Congrads Carmi - Keep doing the voodoo that you do. It is great having you in the world as your perspective often helps me gain perspective.