this is my 200th blog post. all weekend long, i thought about this post and what i would write. two hundred seems major, but is it really an accomplishment? and if so, why?
yes. 200 blog posts is an accomplishment for me. here's why.
when i first started this blog back in March of 2006, i had recently quit writing professionally. i traded in my Mac, press pass, reporter notebooks, handheld tape recorder, and AP Stylebook for burp cloths, Pampers Swaddlers, playdates, tiny pink onesies, and nursing bras. i traded my career and my paycheck for motherhood and, um, no paycheck.
i'm thankful every single day for that trade. i made out like a bandit, huh?
but i couldn't stop writing. i couldn't stop thinking in terms of titles and paragraphs and photo captions. i didn't stop writing. and that, for me, is an accomplishment.
in the past 3 and a half years i have written about my baby girl, my husband, my baby boy, my life, ups and downs, food, crafts, homeschooling, and my big ideas. i've written while nursing a baby, rocking a baby, snuggling a toddler, distributing snacks, breaking up sibling squabbles, and teaching a preschooler. i've written at times when the house was noisy and chaotic, and also at times when the house is at its quietest. and all that, for me, is an accomplishment.
thru writing, i have made new friends, connected with other writers, and connected readers to other writers. thru writing, i've grown as a mom, a wife, a friend, a blogger, and a writer.
three and a half years ago, i could have quit writing all together. i could have squashed my 'talent' and put aside this hobby for later...when the kids are grown, when i have more time, when i can focus. but i'm thankful that i didn't. i'm thankful for that first installment as mamahall that i wrote in March of 2006.
writing is fulfilling. getting the words out of my head and organizing them on the screen gives me a sense of satisfaction. when i write, it reminds me of who i was before i was a mom. it's mine, and it's been mine for a long time. i'm not quitting. and that, for me, is an accomplishment.
so, here's to accomplishing 200 blog posts. and here's to [at least] 200 more!
