If I were to stop blogging as a "fast" from technology and my online world, it would not be because I'm burned out (I'm not) or don't have time (I have enough -- barely -- but enough). It would be a spiritual/psychological experiment, and frankly I'm suspicious of that: I'm not sure it would be honest in my case, and it's not what I need to do in order to achieve a greater sense of balance in my life. There's little I dislike more than spiritual posturing, and while giving up what you love can be a genuine spiritual offering, it can also be totally bogus.
My blog does feel like a two-way street: I try to give my best effort in what I post here, and in return I get a lot from you. The community is definitely my secondary motivation, after trying to write as well as I can about the things that feel important, and I know from what you've written to me that this blog means something to a number of people. I'm not into playing games; Cassandra has a certain amount of integrity and she'd like to maintain it!
A couple of things have come to the surface as I've thought about this. One is that a particular frustration right now is not with my own blog, but in being limited in the time I can spend reading and commenting on other blogs. I feel like I'm letting my friends down when I don't visit regularly and don't comment. So if that feels like it's you, I'm sorry. I'll be back, but this summer I am very pressed and my online time is limited. Chances are I'm reading your blog in big chunks, like once a week, and maybe not being able to comment. I've also been keeping all online correspondence to a minimum, simply for lack of time: if that feels like it's you, I'm also sorry.
Another is frustration over writing in general. I need to spend more of my writing time on some of the bigger projects that I've been wanting to move ahead on - the collection of posts about my father-in-law needs a lot of work, for example. I want to get back to writing some poetry again too. So I'm spending some of what used to be blog time on other writing projects, and that re-distribution feels better. But I have very limited time for creative work in general right now, and for the kind of meditative self-care that this past weekend reminded me I must include in my daily life.
Being self-employed means that summer is not vacation, and in our case there is always a lot of additional work as our clients gear up for fall. I'm grateful to have work, and necessarily concerned about getting it all done. And even that comes second to being a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and friend in real life to the people who are closest to me.
When I started this blog, I tried hard to post daily and I still think that's the best way to build and sustain readership, but right now I simply can't do it. The current 2 or 3-times- a-week schedule may even be too much this summer, but I promise to maintain the blog because I see it as part of that balance and self-care - I'll post photos when I can't write much, and look for other ways to create more time and openness in my life. Thank you for being such faithful readers, and I hope you'll hang in there with me! I expect things to ease up in the fall.
Happily hanging with you! Wishing you lots of between-the-dance respite and play-time.
Posted by: Lori Witzel | June 28, 2007 at 06:59 PM
I am glad to hear that you'll still be writing. I am hardly a daily writer of my own blog, so wouldn't have thought it spiritually ---or even seasonally--- suspicious for you to take a break from it if you needed to. Presumptious, of me, isn't it, since I don't know you ? But I do enjoy your writing and am pleased that you'll be posting in a manner that suits you. I assume must speak for some other readers when I promise you that we'll adjust to a less frequent schedule. Godspeed.
Posted by: Cordelia | June 28, 2007 at 07:15 PM
Second thought, best thought, I always say.
Not being able to keep up with my accustomed level of blog reading (and linking) has turned out to be the hardest part of my technology-imposed slowdown, too.
Posted by: Dave | June 28, 2007 at 10:03 PM
I agree with this completely, thanks for the post.
Posted by: John | June 29, 2007 at 07:53 AM
No worries, I'll be here whenever you are! Wish you well this summer, in balancing work, friends and family, your own creative writing and some free time to look after yourself too!
Posted by: marja-leena | June 29, 2007 at 11:50 AM
I tell you what. When I have a moment for blog-surfing, I will observe that you haven't done anything lately and go down through some of your blogroll and leave comments for THEM. It's not quite the same, to be sure, but maybe they'll feel as if their community has expanded a little from spillover from yours. (Besides, the blogs you endorse have universally proven to be good choices.) I just wish I had more time to spend...
Posted by: Peter | June 30, 2007 at 09:34 AM
Now that is a great offer! Thanks, Peter!
And thank you to everyone who has written comments on this post and the previous one, especially John and Cordelia - I'm very glad to hear from people who have seldom commented here; a warm welcome to you, and please write again!
Posted by: beth | June 30, 2007 at 09:49 AM