Why I am Still Blogging After Four Years

My WordPress account just renewed.  Here it is- my fourth year and I am still at it.  My first post was on Jan. 4, 2017.  I started blogging during the aftermath of the 2016 election.  At that time, I thought I could not survive the chaos, but here I am, bruised by events but not defeated.  I am thankful for the companionship of my pen which has acted as a lightning rod, keeping me grounded during difficult times.

When I write down the bits of my life the unremarkable becomes remarkable. Those bits become a pathway back to myself when I get lost. Writing combs the tangled strands of my thoughts back into an orderly fashion. When I share my writing with others in a blog post it’s like leaving footprints in the universe to perhaps help others on their journey.I have shared poetry, personal stories, opinions, artwork and photography. It’s been a hodgepodge of myself.

For the most part, my blogging is a weekly practice, a Sunday morning ritual that affirms my existence. I have no master plan or theme as is advised.  During the week I try to pay attention to what pops into my mind worthy to blog about.  It’s an intuitive process.  I don’t fret about topics.  I write for myself but I’ve noticed that the posts where I stay truest to my own sensibilities get the most readers.

If you are reading this post, I am grateful for your time and attention.  It’s gratifying to have readers from all over the world, sometimes from countries that I have never heard from.  Today I have had readers from India, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mauritius, and Malaysia. I have met some great blog friends and hope to connect with them in person some day in the non-Covid future!

If you are not a writer, I encourage you to write a few words a day.  It doesn’t have to be good- but if you make it a daily practice, you will improve.  It’s a journey worth pursuing.  If you choose to blog- go for it. It’s much more meaningful than Facebook Meanwhile, see you on the blogosphere!

Alanna also blogs about sustainablility on onesweetearth.com

The Art of Launching a Second Blog

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IT’S A BLOG!!

Now, why would I want to do that to myself? Like building and maintaining a blog with almost weekly posts isn’t enough of a responsibility? The short answer is that I have more to say about an entirely different subject than this blog on my personal meanderings can handle. My new genre is on how to take action to preserve the health of the planet in the age of climate change and other environmental degradation.  This form of activism is by making small lifestyle changes.

I started chipping away on the concept of my new blog “One Sweet Earth” in late 2019 with the hopes of a New Year’s launch.  That was wishful thinking as I forgot how daunting building a new blog can be.  Selecting the right theme, how to build a menu with categories and pages is daunting enough without wrestling with WordPress’s new block editor.  Then there’s writing content and in this case illustrating it. A good portion of “One Sweet Earth” is in my sketchbook.

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Liebster Award

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One of my fellow bloggers & blogging friends, Louise of Louise In-Btween nominated me for this award a couple of weeks back.  It is sweet to recognized and know that someone out there finds value in my words and images.  I started a writing practice in late 2016 and shortly after this blog in 2017 with few expectations.  All I knew is I wanted to express myself in words and images.  WordPress became the perfect venue for that. What I find!  Blogging is like putting your handprint on the universe.  I write for no reward other than my own satisfaction.

I’ve noticed blogging awards here and there and have been wary of them.  After researching them a bit, I decided to go with the Liebster as is an award given by a blogger to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers, with an aim to help others discover and spot new bloggers.

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