Was there a time before Elmowrites? (For that matter, was there a time before this tantrum, Sebastian?)
According to WordPress, it’s only 3 years since I started this adventure in blogging. My anniversary passed on Saturday. My opening post was little more than an introduction, and I feel I’ve come a long way since then. I had a blog before, but it was a quiet one for family and friends; with Elmowrites I entered the wider blogosphere and the friends I’ve made, the critique I’ve received and the sense of community here has made that feel like a fantastic change.
We’ve come a long way in three years, and like most parents, I can hardly remember a time before this baby was born. But a couple of weeks ago I caught a rare glimpse when I visited some old lawyer colleagues at their new firm. For the first time in a long time, I thought about life before Sebastian, elmowrites and cats (roughly 2, 3 and 4 years respectively). It was nice to see my old friends, to catch up and see how they were getting on. Facebook (Twitter, Linked In…) has pros and cons – it keeps us in touch with people we might otherwise have lost, but it also makes it easy to neglect the effort required to make friendships real. The blogosphere has given me some lovely online friendships – friendships that have made this expat SAHM feel a lot less isolated by circumstances, but I’ll be honest here and say there’s nothing like sitting across a real table, talking with your voice not your fingers and having someone steal your chips.
Think about making real contact with a friend today – picking up the phone, sending a letter or email that isn’t posted on a wall for all to see … or, as my latest baby would say “Mama, Cuddle.”
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