I have made many online friends through Easin’ Along, most of which I’ll never meet in person, but I cherish the opportunity I have to communicate with all of them. Earlier this week, Nancy Dobbins, who writes a very well-crafted and often thought-provoking retirement blog, Defining Third Age, posted an article detailing some of the pleasures and challenges she uncovered during her first year of blogging. Within that post, Nancy listed both the “pros”, all of which I share, and the “cons” of writing consistently good articles consistently. I’m willing to bet that all of us who practice this labor of love called blogging have felt every one of the items on her lists. One of her “cons” hung prominently over me this week.
“There is pressure to produce frequently, as well as to produce posts with good content.”
I felt the pressure this week. To blog or not to blog…that was the question.
We returned from a delightful two weeks on the road. As always, we very much enjoyed our time spent in North Carolina, and I can’t say enough about the eight days we spent in Edisto Beach sharing glorious weather, the beach, and the creek with our beautiful granddaughters. It was a different scene when we arrived back in Knoxville.
The most glaring issue was the fact that I had knee replacement surgery scheduled a week and a half out and, the “do list” was long. Even though I can barely walk for more than thirty steps without taking a break, there was still Lucy (trailer) to unload, clean, and winterize before putting her away for a few months. When we opened our garage door, we discovered that the faucet on our laundry sink had a leak that needed repair. The handle on our bathroom toilet had broken before we left and could no longer go ignored. I had appointments to keep, paperwork to complete, an RV we won three weeks ago needed moving to a different spot in the storage lot. Helen said I had to get a flu shot.
To blog or not to blog…
Retirement is a wonderful period in our lives due to the time we have to delve into the things that give us joy and pleasure whether it is art, music, exercise, Bible study, golf, travel, or writing. The list is endless. I love my blog and, now into my fourth year, Easin’ Along is as much a part of me as my family. My blog replaces the journal I kept for twenty years and adds the structure that I need in my life now that I am no longer working. I don’t want to lose that. Selfishly, I write for me as much as I write for you.
So…distractions be damned, I won’t let a leaky sink shelve Easin’ Along this week. Nevertheless, my time is short so I’m going to give readers another peek at Creek Week. Helen took many of the pictures shown above and below with her iPhone. I am impressed with the quality and think you will be as well. To reduce upload time, I reduced a few pictures to a smaller size, but you can enlarge any of them with a simple click.
Nancy, thanks for highlighting the “pros”. As I commented on your excellent blog post, eventually they will far outweigh the “cons”. To my fellow bloggers, thanks for keeping in touch and for your insight into retirement—the best gig out there. To my readers, thanks for stopping by and for the opportunity to share the experiences and the joy of retirement with you. Hopefully, we’ll have many more days together while…Easin’ Along.
You can give up golf but not blogging!!! Loved all the beautiful pictures!! Prayers for a successful surgery and quick healing !!! Hugs to Helen!!
Good morning, LuAnne,
Blogging is good therapy. Might be a little loopy next week so, Easin’ Along may take a few days off, but there are no plans to quit. Good to hear from you.
Joe, as a life long journal writer I feel much the same way about my blog. I no longer put pen to paper, but my blog holds me accountable in much the same way. Without it, I don’t think I would have the same ‘structure’ to my days. My blog is photo intensive (Picture Retirement), and I can get away with posting a photo challenge once in a while instead of writing a full blown post. It feels a little like cheating, but I want to stay engaged with other bloggers so it fills the time between more meaningful posts. I have had a couple of crappy weeks as well, but at least I am not facing knee surgery on top of it. Nancy’s post was meaningful to a lot of us who have faced the ‘does it really matter’ aspect of blogging. I have decided that it does matter for me and I am glad you have too. Helen’s photographs are beautiful by the way. That sunrise at the beach was enough for me! Best of luck with your surgery.
Hi, Suzanne,
I saw your comment on Nancy’s post and it was right on. “Numbers are the kiss of death” is so true when it comes to blogging. I enjoy Picture Retirement and greatly admire your photo skills. Your pictures prod me to work a little harder at the craft. We will be in Florida in January for a little R&R after surgery and rehab…do you give lessons? Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hi, Joe – I agree that Nancy’s piece about the pros and cons of blogging was very powerful. She hit the nail on the head of what many of us have struggled with. I greatly enjoy following your journies and am glad that your list retains more pros than cons!
Hello Donna,
Blogging has taken the place of a journal that I kept for many years and, even though it is different in many ways, I find it is a great way to keep the synapses firing–especially if someone else is going to read it! As I mentioned to you a few weeks ago, Retirement Reflections is a bog to be very proud of and I love how you vary the topics and keep it so interesting. Great to have you Easin’ Along with us!
Hi Joe,
I am so honored that you found my blog post worthy of a mention in yours! This week has been, like yours, one that is so busy that the blog has taken a back seat. Life is happening! We are getting ready to make our FL move for the winter and next week we will be traveling so not sure if I’ll get a post up. However, I wanted to make sure I responded to all the kind comments (like yours) on my blog and read the ones I follow. I was so humbled to read your words. I had a feeling that my experiences are not necessarily unique, but never quite expected the outpouring of responses and support I’ve gotten.
My blogging friends- like you- are a major reason to keep on keeping on.
Fingers and toes crossed that your surgery goes off without a hitch.
Florida in Jan? Hmmmmm
Good morning, Nancy,
Your post covered a lot of the items that bloggers go through whether they’re a Mommy-blogger doing it for pure fun or someone like my friend Alan Sims (Inside of Knoxville) who is very successful commercially. Eventually, we all find our lane and stick with it as long as it gives us joy–and you will as well. You’ve got a good feel for expressing your thoughts and ideas so, hang in there. Safe travels to Florida and enjoy the winter warmth. I would like to think we could meet up. Let’s stay in touch.