Come Back

I miss blogging. 
I miss bloggers.
 Why did we all stop blogging? 

Of the long list in my Spots of Sunshine lineup, there are now only about four blogs that post on a semi-regular basis. 

I know that we haven't run out of things to talk about or thoughts to share.  Yet, there is no one here.

Blogging has been replaced with the short, spastic world of tweets.  Pinterest has given us Attention Deficit Disorder.  Facebook has put up the false front of being "social", while the people using it forget what being social is all about. 

I miss the connection that blogging brought.  The sense of community and conversation.  I admit that I often felt like the conversation was quite one sided.  But my blog friends always showed up when it counted.  They were always there to offer a word of encouragement.  To make me laugh.  To brighten my day.  Or to offer insight.  

I loved the circle of bloggers that I once counted as my friends.  I wonder about what has happened in their lives.  What are they doing?  Where are they?  And why aren't they here? 

Many times over the past year I have signed in to my blog account and looked around at an empty room, like a party that no one showed up for.  The thoughts in my head that were bound for a post got dropped like a joke that you forgot the punchline to. 

I quit blogging, too.

But I miss it.  It felt real.  Maybe it can again.  Maybe there is hope in the old-school.  Maybe someone else out there is getting tired of the impersonal blurbs and constant flux of new things to keep up with on the internet.  Maybe we could blog again. 

Come back?

Once Again.

in my shop.

It's been a rough few months for me.  Hence, my absence. But, quite frankly, I don't want to talk about the negative.  There's plenty enough of that out there. 

I want to talk about the positive.  Like the fact that I have been painting more often.  And that I have actually managed to list some of those paintings in my Etsy shop.  I have always been an artist.  I have always created and made things.  But, unlike most other artists, it doesn't come easy for me.  Inspiration doesn't just flow from some eternal spring.  I don't always have a burning desire to make things.  Honestly, I rarely have that desire.  But once I do actually finish a painting or a piece of jewelry or a new design, I feel a very satisfying sense of accomplishment. ..........

So, I have been working on a smaller scale, painting tiny canvases and doing small watercolors.  It seems to be helping my attention span and my confidence.  I am trying to be brave.  Trying to put myself out there a little bit, even when I don't feel ready.  Trying to remember that we can't wait for everything to be just perfect before taking a step, otherwise we would never go anywhere. 

I've got a lot of stuff floating around in my brain.  I want to get it out and write about it here, on this blog.  But I'm not making any promises.  My life seems to be perched on a very delicate line right now, between inward reflection/growth and public expression/goals. 

I'm glad that no one seems to have left during my long sabbatical.  Thanks for sticking around. 
Much love to all of you.
~ Jo~

Bringing it Back.

Let me get an early start, here, to try to make up for my absence last week.

First off, let me just say "Thank You!". I know I can always count on my blog friends to come through for me with some warm words and cyber hugs. I love you guys so much. And while we're on the subject of warm words, let me say this. Sometimes you guys give me some very deep and personal advice and words of wisdom. You are so generous and thoughtful that way. I always publish those comments, even if they are of a personal nature. I figure that if they can be encouraging to me, that there is probably someone else out there who could benefit from reading them, too. I hope you don't mind.

Things are doing better with the hubby and I. And I have no more to say about that. I am tired of talking about it. Suffice it to say that marriage is hard and life can suck. Maybe I'll write a post about it sometime. But not right now.

February is here and there are a lot of ideas floating around in my head. Hopefully some of them will come to fruition. So, stay with me folks. I plan on being around more often.

Oh, yes! And those business cards I told you about? They happen to be the same color as that fabulous dress up there. Because in my world, neon never goes out of style.

Hugs and Sunshine
~Jo~


*pic from here.

Conversation

Happy Friday, dolls.
I am staring out the window at a yard full of snow this morning and pondering some things.
One thing that I would like to know is, who are all of you people who are allegedly following me?
My info says that I have 43 followers, yet I am lucky to get just a few comments on each post.
I'm curious. Why don't you comment? Do you even like my blog? Do you read it? Is my subject material boring you? What made you start following my blog in the first place? Is there something you want to talk about? Should I stop asking questions? Is it me?
I just feel like we aren't communicating.
Please don't break up with me.
Let's work this out.

Pretty please, with sugar on top?

Keep it Simple

I was so thrilled to read all your thoughtful comments on "simple pleasures". I love hearing from you. Your words are also a simple pleasure. They never fail to make me smile. Thank you.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if you put a big bunch of us bloggers at a table together (maybe with some pie and ice cream, like above). Would we all break out into lively conversation and go on like old friends? Or would we sit with polite smiles and wait for someone else to say something? Are we more confident, witty or creative when hidden behind a computer screen? Or would our personalities bubble forth like a pot of boiling water?

It's an interesting thought, wouldn't you agree? I think that regardless of where we are, what we share is pretty special. We may not get to meet up for lunch in reality, but in a way, maybe we do. I meet with many of you for a little break in the afternoon, when my energy and attention are waning. You share with me your thoughts and inspirations and I instantly feel much better. Even if you like feeling anonymous, would you honestly leave comments for anyone if you didn't think that they enjoyed reading them? I wouldn't. Sometimes I find myself not commenting on blog posts because they already have like a billion comments already. It feels impersonal, like my comment will just be floating around out there in a sea of others.

But its nice to be acknowledged, isn't it? Its always a good feeling to sign in to your blog and see that you have such and such number of comments to be moderated. It means that someone heard you. And I, indeed, love hearing from you. So keep on blogging and keep on commenting. And have some pie and ice cream ready. ;)

*photo from Pottery Barn.
*P.S.- five more posts to go before I do my first giveaway! Don't miss it.