Tonight Rah and I are sitting in the recliner, wrapped up in a blanket, with the fake fireplace going, cat on the lap, and Rah is munching on some much needed Doritos. Jesse is plopped in the chair eating his favorite Sweet Chili Doritos which I might add are not too bad! We are wrapping up tonight for yet another year and we find ourselves thinking back on the past 4 years of blogging. We decided tonight that we would reflect back and share with you what we have learned through the course of our blog journey. I think doing it like David Letterman's top 10 seems like a fun way to do it.
- A 30 day commitment to writing is significant especially in the holidays.
- As much as Rah and I have tried to only focus on one another, we recognize that this year we have a much smaller following than there has been in the past. In a world where "likes" and numbers somehow make us feel as though we matter more, it is hard not to pay attention to that. We can see each evening that around 50+ people are consistently reading. We also know that we have been on a significant downward spiral since year 2. In many ways this is a tough pill to swallow.
- Being inspirational often happens totally by mistake.
- We have never thought that either one of us was particularly inspirational; however, on occasion someone has let us know that something that we said struck a chord. Sometimes those comments were really what got us through some really tough stuff. In many ways writing really makes one very vulnerable. There is a lot of each of us written in the words, and if inspiration happens, it is mostly by mistake.
- Ever heard of WRITER'S BLOCK!
- UFF DA this is tough to work through. Rah and I have many days that are just not conducive to writing. Sometimes there are so many roadblocks to the writing process that you just want quit, but the blog needs to be written. I cannot tell you how DIFFICULT this is! It IS a real thing and it totally bites when it happens.
- Sometimes people need to catch up.
- A lot of the time we will notice a surge in numbers and it appears that some folks are catching up on several days when they have time. This is a busy time of the year, and perhaps adding one more thing to "read" is more of a challenge than one would imagine. I know that I need to be in the right space to write, but I also need to be in the right place to read. My heart and mind have to be open to hearing the message. Catching up is okay.
- Writing creatively is tough!
- Right brain, left brain, no brain! You just cannot be creative some days no matter how much you try!!!! This is especially difficult with Rah's school and my work world. I do a ton of technical writing and she is writing papers for school. If daily life has knocked us down, this is even worse. Some blogs we read and just think "well that sucked!"
- Giving does not just have to take place at Christmas.
- I think that giving at Christmas is wonderful, but I also think it is important for people to find ways to pay if forward all year long. Bobby Bones called this Pimpin Joy! It means that you do things for others just because you can. In the holiday season funds are often limited, but maybe throughout the year it is a tish easier. Do it when you can and sometimes give when it hurts . . . Rah and I are pretty good at this!
- The Norman Rockwell picture of Christmas is really not accurate because we live in a Baby Jesus world. It is hard to be creative when the world has knocked you on your keaster!
- We expect Christmas to be, look, and feel a certain way, but quite frankly, I wonder where that comes from? The reality is, Christmas is a pretty rough time of the year as many are struggling amidst the chaos of life. The hope comes from a child born years ago that brought grace for humankind. With out faith, hope is seemingly lost. The truth is that the Baby Jesus world is bleak but filled with love. When we let God work through us, we bring light into a world that is often pretty dismal and dark.
- Happy, happy, happy
- To be happy, you have to kind of be in the ZONE! Rah and I both have to be in the right place, space, and the environment has to be right for the writing world to be a happy one! Take a piece or two out and there can be an environmental block to the writing process. Happy is a cool feeling. We love the things that make us laugh making the blog so much FUN to write for that night.
- Tears are okay!
- Some things in this world make your heart happy and some things in this world make your heart hurt. We have experienced BOTH! There have been nights where through the words the tears have seemed to steadily flow. We have had nights when we were so happy that tears trickled down our cheeks. We have had nights when life knocked us down and we cried. And then we have had times when we have cried for seemingly no reason at all, but guess what, tears are OK!
- Writing a letter to someone that you love is way easier than writing FOR someone.
- In this moment of time, with where we are at in our lives, this years blog was all that we could handle. Through that we discovered that it is much easier to write for ourselves than it is to try and be inspirational for others. Rah is inspirational to me and I believe I am an inspiration to her. For this year, that was what mattered most.
Maybe we will pop up during the year for a month and give the holiday blog a rest . . . who knows?
Love and Blessings to All in 2016,
Sheila and Sarah
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