Friday 30 November 2018

State of the blog address

This is kind of a state of the author address as well.

I started this blog one November a few years back. I cannot recall the date in November because I started with some posts, then scrapped them, then started again. I will just say the anniversary of this blog is sometime in November since it definitely was in November.

January 1 of this year I posted that this blog was going on hiatus. I was sick from a very nasty flu and very run down, my personal life could have been better, even worse was the fact I ran out ideas for this blog. Things seemed bleak in general at the time.

I was very pleasantly surprised to get some email and comments saying they would like me to continue. A few others were slightly angry that I might quit. It was a nice boost to the ego to receive that feedback and to know someone might miss what I am doing. When I wake up in the morning I grab my tablet and make the rounds of sites I like to read. I never really thought that people out there might be looking forward to see what I posted.

Out of the blue I got a truly unexpected email from Steve Boyko offering to contribute some posts. I was grateful to get that offer and took him up on it. I believe Steve is a very busy person with his own stuff and it was nice of him to take the time to help someone who, at the time, he and I had never met in person. It was an act of kindness that is very much appreciated since I was a bit of a low point at the time. His contributions helped me out and kick-started me posting again. I got to meet Steve in person later in this year. He turned out to be what I expected. I hope we meet up again sometime.

A blogger whose blog I really enjoyed reading and eagerly looked forward to his posts stopped blogging and ended his blog. I sent him an email and found out that he decided to stop blogging. I really did not want to see his blog end so I asked if he would like to contribute to this blog. That is how I got to add Michael Truman as a contributer. I love his perspective on some of our shared interests. I love very rural churches and his posts have shown me what I have been missing with some of the amazing churches he sees in small towns. I look forward to his posts and what he manages to find.

I have seen Jason Paul Sailer's photos and history posts on various Facebook forums and we correspond on irregular basis. He lives in a different part of Alberta and definitely knows a lot more Alberta history than I do. I might be wrong but I got the idea he might want to write a post or two. I asked him if he was interested in contributing. I was surprised he did as he seems to lead a very busy life. We have been to a lot of the same places and I like his perspective on things. I do not know how he finds the time to throw some posts my way. I do my best to ensure that contributors are credited for their posts with their name bolded and their posts tagged with their name.

In prior years I posted something at least once a day. In 2018 there were days this year where there were no posts. There are times when regular life intrudes and there is not enough time and material for a daily post. Page views took a dive compared to last year and seem to be recovering. I changed the name recently to "The View From Here" because I am not the only one posting here and views are different depending on where you are and who you are. People reading this blog have different views of the posts than I do.

I did not get to take as many excursions as I would have liked. Responsibilities and life take priority to taking off and exploring. Some odd things intruded as well. About five months ago my doctor was reviewing some tests and asked me some pointed questions about my family medical history and cancer. Apparently I had one of the possible signs of pancreatic cancer. Some further tests less than a month later ruled that out. That kind of thing will make one stop and think for a few minutes. I had a CT scan on my neck on Sepember 21 to see if there was anything causing my occasional headaches. Nothing showed up on the results. I do not get headaches that often, when I do they can be viscious, so no definite cause so far.

In the crazy busy last few months I had managed to get divorced. As an aside, paying for a lawyer can seriously cut into the road trip budget. The former spouse had me served March 2014 and then never followed up on anything. That always puzzled me. If I wanted to divorce myself from something I follow through. Since there was no movement on the plaintiff's part I pushed for a trial date which was to be November 5, 2018. If nothing was going to be settled beforehand then I wanted matters to be settled in court. The closer to the court date the more activity occurred and a few settlement offers came my way. Terms were discussed between lawyers several times and then terms were agreed to. Nothing happens until it does happen. I am reasonably happy with the end result. On to the next stage of my life, whatever that may be.

I had not spoken to her since a month before I was served and I doubt I will ever talk to her again. There is nothing mean spirited in that, it is just a statement of fact. She wanted a divorce, she eventually got one. That part of my life is closed. From this point on I have zero interest in what she does or where life takes her. 

So what is the next stage? I have been existing for the last few years in a bit of a holding pattern working my way to getting a divorce finished. Now what? I quit my job for one, I decided I needed a change. As an aside, when I handed in my two weeks notice I expected them to walk me to the door and mail what was owed to me. Instead they had me work the final two weeks but over those two weeks they killed off my passwords to all companies that I needed to access except for one. For my remaining time there was not much I could do and I could not see the point of keeping me here if I could not do anything. Anyway, I have no grand plan. There are a few minor plans. Life sometimes takes some unexpected turns so I will see what happens next. There will definitely be road trips.

The blog will carry on for now. I have my year end post scheduled so it will continue at least until then. 

15 comments:

  1. Sounds like you're free as a bird, BW! Any and all possibilities are open to you right now. I hope the universe brings you nothing but good things as you start a new chapter of your life!

    When I first started blogging, I posted every day too. But that's a hard routine to keep up for long. Then I went to 5 days a week. Eventually only 2 or 3 times a week. But even if a blogger only posts once a week or once a month, that's fine. Blogging should never be a chore, only a pleasure.

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  2. Starting in a new direction can be a great thing! Good luck!

    I agree with Debra, blogging should be fun.
    It's either fun or because it's a job. That said there are people who (seem) to make a comfortable living from blogging.

    I've gotten headaches from not drinking enough water....

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  3. As the others have mentioned blogging should be a pleasure which is why I haven't posted in about a year. So when you or one of the others post, I enjoy getting to know some more about areas I will probably never visit. Thanks

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  4. Please don't quit blogging. Every time a blog ends, its like a friend dies. When I first started blogging nine years ago, I was afraid that I'd run out of things to write. I soon discovered just what a blabber-mouth I am and now know that the struggle is to keep my trap shut more. That's been made easier by my health slowing me down. Don't think that all posts have to be photos, either. I may be a bit of a snoop, but I like knowing a little about a person; it shows that they're human. I will pray that the Lord leads you to make the right decisions at this crossroads of your life. God bless you.

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  5. Replies
    1. I look forward to your posts. Interesting stuff.

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  6. It isn't often we get to start over with a fairly clean slate. Isn't it good to now have options?! Please keep blogging. Like Gorges says, when a blog we enjoy shuts down, it is like losing friend.

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  7. I hope you keep the blog going. I've enjoyed it so much. Even though I haven't comment much of late, I'm still reading...

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  8. I hope we meet up again soon too! Thank you for the kind words and I am glad I had a small part in keeping your blog going. Keep up the great work.

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  9. Life does tend to get in the way sometimes doesn't it. I find so many of my favourite bloggers are making the switch over to other platforms, which I refuse to do. I like blogging - I like reading my blog lists - and I plan to carry on with it as long as I can. Having said that, I have gone from 5x/week posts to only 3x/week (on average) and that seems to work for me. I used to let the self-inflicted pressure to blog get to me but now I don't worry about it. If I can post two or three times a week I'm happy, but if it's less than that, it's not a bad thing either.
    All this to say - I hope your health issues are soon sorted out and that you start feeling better. And that you feel inspired to continue blogging, on a schedule that works for you. I know I'm a recent reader but have thoroughly enjoyed seeing, through your eyes, a part of Canada that I've only briefly visited.

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  10. I remember when you first started blogging! Good to know your health is OK and you will be taking to the road again. Your photos are amazing! Life can be difficult sometimes - lots and lots of twists and turns and NEVER boring - but in the end we wind up where we are supposed to be. Just think, maybe someday you'll get that photography book published......

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  11. I am honored to be part of your blog and contribute in my small way. I do hope to continue to do so in the New Year!

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  12. I enjoy your blog. Don't comment much, but you are on my daily list of bloggers to read. Good luck to you in your new direction and please keep posting!

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