I’ve been taking a break.
From this blog. From social media for the most part. From a lot of things.
Part of the break was intentional and another chunk was not.
One thing just led to another and the longer I took a break from writing blog posts, taking photographs to share, and making comments or status updates on other folks’ blogs or Facebook, the longer it felt right to do so.
For the last several months, life spun me in a different direction. I’ve been needed elsewhere. I’ve gathered up as much strength as I could muster to give it to someone else whose world was shattered. And I’d be bold-faced lying if I didn’t confess that the experience has left me spent, exhausted, and in need of some retreat.
That’s part of the reason I’ve been ‘breaking.’ Days and nights were consumed with helping someone else. There just was no time for doing much blogging.
But that’s not the lone cause.
I noticed an online meme this morning that was intended to be used as a Facebook cover photo and it summed up my feelings quite well: “Taking a break…my life needs me.”
Lately, my preoccupations have centered on my life instead of writing in this blog. Yep, it’s safe to say my life needed me and I needed my life. And that life does not revolve around my online presence nor do I want it to.
I’ve gone back to school – in one form or another. I’m back at substitute teaching so that does occupy some daylight hours here and there, and I find doing so improves my outlook. Just being around those teens and pre-teens does make my heart happy.
And I’ve also begun taking an online course in something I’ve always wanted to do. And you know what? That makes my heart happy too. And it absorbs my ‘online time’ so that I don’t really want to spend any more time on social media. I count that as a plus.
However, there’s more to the story.
A glitchy problem arose with my blog a few weeks ago which also prevented me from posting and giving me an excuse not to. After several efforts at trying to address the issue, I finally threw up my hands and contacted my host site for help. Technology (and the ire it causes me when it doesn’t work the way I think it should) often baffles me and I have to call in the big guns for reinforcement.
After several attempts and days of emailing back and forth, in between everything else that needed my attention, and sending screenshots to help rectify the situation, one of the ‘Happiness Engineers’ from WordPress sent me a satisfying resolution. She was awesome, by the way.
But with the problem solved, I found I still wasn’t quite ready to resume blog posts. I’m still not sure I’m game.
I’m wrestling with several decisions like deactivating my Twitter account because really, who cares? And limiting my Facebook activity because really, the only reason I stay on is to keep in touch with far-away friends and promote this blog. And what to do with this blog because really, I don’t know.
Just so many questions and so much I’m unsure about right now. And honestly, with some new life changes, my time is limited for promoting an online presence. And do I REALLY want one??
Then there’s the bottom line: does my blog really encourage anyone? In this crazy, mixed up, messed up world, does my writing or photography really make a difference?
I’m pretty certain I have some deep thinking and praying to do. So for the time being, I hope this at least explains my absence and why I’m just not found right now.
“Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need.” ~unknown
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