Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been updating the blog much and have been a little late replying to comments. You may also have noticed a lack of activity on my Facebook page and for those of you who join us weekly for the Mommy Meetup Mondays blog hop, you may have wondered why it didn’t go live until 2 in the afternoon versus the stated start time of 8 AM.
Well, the good news is, there’s nothing dramatic going on that should cause anyone any concern. As I stated in my last post, things have been busy with the home buying process and all the other fun stuff that comes with being an adult.
There is also the little issue of not currently having internet access. With the move coming up, we’ve had to cut back unnecessary expenses, which meant getting rid of cable and internet for the time being. Which, of course, makes things like blogging a little difficult.
To be honest, it was extremely rough at first. Until I received a message telling me I’d used up nearly all of my phone’s data, I was supplementing my media needs with my cell. Once that safety net was gone, I felt a weird sense of mourning. As someone who rarely leaves the house, I suddenly felt trapped. There was no mindless TV watching to numb the nagging sense of loneliness. No blog posts to read. No way to publish my own blog posts. No Pandora to listen to while cooking dinner. No chatting with my online besties. I found myself wondering how I managed to stay sane before we had the internet.
Slowly, but surely, it came back to me.
I hooked up the record player and started putting on albums while I’m cleaning the house. I moved the boombox into the kitchen and dug up some old mix CDs to listen to while I cook. I started reading again. I’ve spent time playing my guitar everyday. I’ve drawn some pictures. I’ve watched DVDs that I’d long since forgotten I’d even owned. I’ve played more with my daughter. I’ve actually had to use my noggin and get creative to stay entertained.
While I can’t say there haven’t been a few times when I’ve missed being able to look up the answer to some ridiculous question in an instant, it’s been nice not to feel the pressure to keep up with all the social media nonsense. To just relax and enjoy my family and my life has been a wonderful experience.
Since I have to drive 30 minutes to get to my mother’s, I have had to contain on my blog-related work into the short bursts of time I can grab when I visit her. I find that it has forced me to focus more on my content, versus just publishing something. It has also forced me to use my time more wisely.
Before, I would spend a ridiculous amount of time on social media and call it “work”. Now, I have to make the most of my time and really prioritize. As much as I would like massive engagement and great promotion, content comes first in my book.
It is my hope that by the time I once again have unlimited access to the web that I will be able to use it more wisely. I don’t want to go back to the zombie-like version of myself, constantly glued to a screen. I want to enjoy my life and in turn, write beautiful posts based on those experiences.
So, bare with me while I work this out. I appreciate all of your support and hope that I can come back to this with a renewed sense of vigor!