Saturday, December 22, 2012

Swan Song


Swan on the Carrowbeg River, Westport, Ireland
It is confession time for me - after much thought and deliberation, pondering and wondering - I have concluded that I am going to "retire" from blogging.  I have been pretty absent for the last few months anyway, so this is sort of like a "no big surprise", but there it is, I've said it!

My foray into the world of blogging began like I begin all projects - gung-ho, full speed ahead, pull out all the stops.  I immersed myself in finding memes to participate in, trying to build up my readership, following blogs.  For a time, I even had another blog, just so I could participate in more memes.  At my ripe old age, you would think I would have learned the process by now, but apparently, I have not.  Anything that starts out like that for me, usually runs out of steam pretty soon.  It didn't take long for me to be spending 3 hours a day blogging - preparing, reading, commenting.

And then there were the photos that I had to find for each blog.  I spent many days roaming the countryside, camera in hand, looking for something to fit a particular idea I had.  It was great fun...until it became work!

In the meantime, Dan had his heart attack, with all the subsequent health issues, then his pacemaker.  I lost a cousin to suicide - the 3rd member of my family to take their own life since 2000.  I struggled with my extreme disappointment in the election results and worried about the future of the country.  Then there was Sandy Hook, another in a long line of senseless acts of violence.  I can't even watch the news any longer.

All of that, while battling my old demon, depression, has left me in a place where having to think hard to have something worth saying has become impossible.  Well, maybe not impossible, but certainly hard, and highly unlikely.

In addition to this, we are traveling more now, often in places where it is not easy to get online to post, or read.  I will be traveling to Ireland early next year to start up a project, and will likely be gone a month.  (I know - that's such a rough job!)  I will also accompany my daughter-in-law and grandson to Thailand for a month in the summer, to help her while she undergoes surgery to remove the bullet that has been lodged in her back since 1999 (victim of a drive-by shooting).

So, in keeping with my extreme preference for quitting before people beg you to go away, I am shutting down my blog.  I can truly say I have enjoyed reading the blogs, seeing the photos, and sharing the lives of the people I have "met".  It is an experience I would have hated to miss.

This next Wordless Wednesday will also be the last.  If someone wants to take it on, please do.  It has been great fun.

I leave you with wishes for all the best things in life.  May you walk in sunshine.  Peace and love to all of you!

13 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hi Linda, sorry you are stopping your blog. I have enjoyed your blog post. I would love to hear about your trips to Ireland and Thailand. They both sound like awesome places to visit. I wish you all the best, safe travels and a very Merry Christmas!

Jan n Jer said...

Sorry to hear your shutting down your blog Linda. I have enjoyed your posts and glad I met you. Sounds like you have lots of exciting adventures to look forward too! May God be with you and Dan as you start a New Year. You always have the option to come back. I will keep you on my blog roll for a while. Merry Christmas!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Yours is the third blog of those I follow, and I don't follow that many - less than 50, to have stopped this month. In light of what you have written though I can fully understand your decision. Maybe rather than quitting altogether, just shelving the blog for awhile might be an option. When in Ireland and Thailand you might feel the urge to display the wonders you find there. You could do so with no real routine just when it strikes you and not make blogging such as a job but more like a fun excursion every now and then. I for sure, and I suspect many others would enjoy seeing what you see in those countries for I will never be able to go there myself. Best wishes to you Linda in whatever road you take.

TexWisGirl said...

awww. i was pleased to see a post from you in my reading list, but saddened to know it is your last. but i totally understand. real life is worth living. bless you, linda. may your journeys be safe and fruitful.

Red said...

I am sorry that your blog will become silent. I discovered it not so long ago and enjoyed the photos and found the whole project very energetic.
but there comes a time when it's over.
I hope that you get on top of the health problems and enjoy life again.

Candy C. said...

We will miss you Linda! :(

Jenn Jilks said...

All the best. You will be missed.

Anonymous said...

Linda I will miss you. I have missed you. I understand more than you know. Best wishes on your trips to Ireland and Thailand. Also best wishes to you and Dan, may your lives be happy and filled with people you love. This post that concerns your blogging and battling depression, you could have written for me. When you and Dan come back to Missouri and if you have time we would love to see you. Take care. I am so glad to have "met" you and may you and your family have a Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Sorry to see you are stopping your blog, Linda. I will miss you. It sounds like you have some great adventures coming up. It would be fun to see pictures from your travels.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and good health in the New Year.
~Barb

Simon said...

Hi Linda-I too have been oft absent from blogging so I'm glad to have caught this post, tho' sad to read it.
It sounds like you've been thru a rough patch lately and I too battle depression which can zap you into a place not easy to motivate or do or feel anything but dark and awful. I'm sorry..and I get it.
It is not for me to say, but rather than pulling the entire plug, you might let your blog sit and rest. I have. They don't spoil or "go bad". They have a way of just waiting for you until you're ready. I've gone many months just posting a scavenger hunt on Sunday and letting that be. Just recently I've been nudging myself back into it a little more. And yes, my blog has sat right here waiting for me.
You upcoming travels sound marvelous and I hope they will uplift you to a better place.
Happy holidays. Maybe I'll see you around.

Anonymous said...

Linda I too am sorry you are leaving the blogosphere but I balance that with understanding why. We each travel a unique journey learning as we walk along. It's been a pleasure walking with you and seeing things through your lens. Enjoy the free time you will have - hold tight to your family and friends - enjoy a million more special moments ahead. We'll all be thinking of you.

Love, Pam and Sammy

Anonymous said...

Linda I too am sorry you are leaving the blogosphere but I balance that with understanding why. We each travel a unique journey learning as we walk along. It's been a pleasure walking with you and seeing things through your lens. Enjoy the free time you will have - hold tight to your family and friends - enjoy a million more special moments ahead. We'll all be thinking of you.

Love, Pam and Sammy

tapirgal said...

Beautiful swan. I have had to rethink blogs due to time. I decided they could be sporadic and I would be OK with that.