Hyphenated-Homestead

So, it’s been a while that I could sit down and pen something for my blog. This is what happens when things get busy at work or just general in life. It’s only the second month of 2024 and things are flying so fast like there is no tomorrow. Surviving a day at a time becomes the necessary skill.

I call it, the priority conundrum! The so-called reaction game that happens around us every day. You can’t duck those daily tasks, you can’t ignore those last minute sprung-up priorities, you have to just deal with them in real time.

What I need to do now versus what I can postpone or do later. And there is always something at work or in personal life that takes a precedence.

When that happens, my blogging takes a back seat.

Afterall, the job puts the food on the table, right? The daily activities of life are more important than taking time out and writing something that maybe only handful people are reading. Do they even miss anything? maybe not. I try and convince myself.

I tend to get harder on me. Always have been. Maybe most of you are like that too. I set goals that are difficult to achieve at first place and when I achieve them, my mind is already thinking what’s next. In that process of constantly overachieving, it starts eating me away if I am falling short of any of those goals that I set for myself.

Recently, I was in that same state of mind regarding blogging. My last article was before Valentines Day and then crickets. Nada. I didn’t (and couldn’t) write anything for almost 2 ½ weeks. It’s really not that of a long gap in grand scheme of things, but my mind was already yelling at me…Am I falling short? Will I be able to continue this as I promised myself last December?

Self-sabotaging thoughts…We all do that from time to time. Don’t we?

But something happened over the weekend that made me think of my journey in a renewed light and what I have been able to do so far. It made me feel great, and also took the edge off that I haven’t written something in couple of weeks.

Both occurrences happened over a fantastic and well-organized social event for one of our couple friend’s milestone anniversary. Happy Anniversary, R&R!

The first, let’s call her AR, she tells me without prompting, hey, I subscribed to your blog, and I am following and reading it as I get some time. I get emails when you publish things. There were so many of them recently that I haven’t read all of them yet, but I plan too. Keep writing please. I enjoy your writing.

Voila! Look at that Mandar. Here you are thinking you are falling short because you have set an arbitrary goal of frequency but my audience (at least sample size of one) doesn’t think that. They are appreciative of what I am writing and have catching up to do on my prior posts. I can bring the temperature down and pace myself.

The second, let’s call her DK, when she learnt about my new endeavor in that same gathering, she reacted saying – its brave of you to put yourself out there – I know it’s not easy. Please share the details of your blog and I will take a look.

Voila! Look at that Mandar. Consistent blogging is not an easy task that sometimes tell myself to be. It is hard to pen the feelings in a meaningful manner for the entire world to read and react. I should give myself some grace!

Note to self: This is not a race. I am not a publication house with a requirement of putting articles out once a week like clockwork. May be AI can do that these days, but I am not AI nor the ChatGPT. I write because it helps me and hopefully it helps someone else along the way.

Thank you, AR and DK, you taught me something. You literally did. You might not feel that way, but your subtle encouragement is what I need to continue this and pull through lulls that I may experience from time to time.

Cruising along in my own lane with my own speed, charting my own Route 66. Until we meet next time. So long!

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