I realized today that I haven't posted here in three weeks. And that's mainly because I just haven't had anything to post about. July and August get me every single year. And every single year I tell myself, "nope..not this year July and August! No you don't!!! I will stave you off and be HAPPY during your horrible, heat oppressive months." But it just never seems to work. It seems like a silly thing really to get depressed over a couple of months and it's something I can't really explain. I normally don't even make the connection until halfway through July when I realize I'm feeling like crap and OH YEAH it's that time of the year again. I can't tell you how much I hate summer and the heat....especially in southern Louisiana where the air is literally suffocating because of the humidity. It's just draining. BUT I also know that I always pull out of this funk too once August passes and the first hints of fall start to arrive. So it should be coming soon.
I've also been thinking about blogging in general. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere and I don't think I ever will. But today at work I was thinking about all of the posts and the talk about blogging burn out and leaving blogging that we've seen in the last year or so and trying to make connections on why that's happening. It's certainly happened to me too. I don't post nearly as often, I don't comment on other blogs as much as I'd like to, nor do I get around to even reading blogs as much as I like to these days. And I think for me I mad a little bit of sense why today.
I think it's somewhat of what I like to call the "high school graduation effect." I can look back at my high school and college years and the years after college and it can be sort of bittersweet sometimes. Just like blogging has been. I've been blogging now for seven years and I know many of my closest blogging friends have been blogging just as long if not longer.
When I think back to high school I had lots of acquaintances. Not tons of close friends, but plenty of people I would consider friends and we'd often hang out in pretty large groups and there was always fun to be had. Then college came around and those groups sort of went their different ways, yet we still stayed in touch some...some of the groups maybe got a little bit more cliquish but were still there. And during and after college, people started getting married, having kids, getting important jobs...and with those life circumstances came a natural separation that didn't mean that any of us cared any less about each other, but there was less time in our lives to see each other as often. I still stay in touch with some of those people, but not nearly as often. And some of the people I considered close friends in high school I sadly don't even know a thing about them these days.
I think something very similar has happened with blogging. I realize that my experience with high school and college and all that is very different than some other people's may have been, but my point is that things change over time and dynamics change. When I started blogging, I was just about to enter my Master's program and while life seemed so hectic at the time it really wasn't compared to now. I had so much more time to blog. Life has by no fault of it's own, taken away a lot of that time from me. I think all of us have had things change over the years we've been blogging and book blogging itself has certainly changed over the years! It went from a very intimate close knit community when I first joined in to being quite a very large community now which isn't a bad thing at all, but dynamics change with that.
I truly do yearn for the blogging days of 2007 sometimes. God I loved that year so much....but I know that I can't make that all come back and control how everyone blogs again, not even myself. We've all grown up a little bit more, life has changed for everyone in those years, and blogging has changed in those years. But it doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. I'll still be here, trying to adjust with the changes that happen and hopefully one of these days actually getting a book review or two up again :p I'm in the middle of a few excellent books right now so hopefully I'll be telling you about them soon.
In the meantime, go virtually hug a blogger. And consider all of yourselves virtually hugged by me. Because I truly do love having all of you in my life and I hope that you never stop posting. Which I know is selfish of me as that's a personal choice which I of course will always respect, but despite the lack of commenting from me lately, it makes me smile every time I see a new post from all of you blogging friends :)
14 comments:
Very true! "I truly do yearn for the blogging days of 2007 sometimes....but I know that I can't make that all come back and control how everyone blogs again, not even myself." I think your insight is great. Change is just part of life, and blogging can capture the transitions in a way.
I too liked blogging much more until "social media" came around...that made it all to easy to just put up one photo or say one sentence and not really make a blog page. but blogging (though I have next to no followers lol) is still how I met others and got to know them much better than I have thru FB or Twitter.. I plan on keeping my blog.. and besides.. RIP is almost here!!!! xoxoxox
Things do change a lot as the years go by. I know I'm not as passionate about keeping up with posts and comments as I used to. And yet I don't think I'll ever stop blogging completely, even if it just becomes a place where I note down my thoughts on books, which is where it all started, actually. You've reminded me that I think I just missed my blogiversary, have to go check the calendar now and see! That will give me something to post about today, ha ha! I hope you always stay in touch, even if the blogging slacks off...
Chris, you have been going through so much personally too, this summer, and in past years. It's hard to blog (I've found,for me) when deeply personal stuff is happening. Sometimes time away is needed. At least that is for me...
The other thing is, that I found that blogging was taking over much of other parts of my life, and I wasn't getting enough sleep! I know it sounds ridiculous but when you have kids and work full-time, suddenly blogging needs to find its space in my life too, and so it's always dependent on what else is going on.
All this to say, I think you have an excellent point in blogging being a continuation of community beyond school, and the trick is finding how that community fits into our lives, virtual and real.
Consider yourself hugged, virtually and I wish, really!!! I'm happy that you are staying with blogging :-)
(((HUGS))) Agree with you on all counts. I miss the type of blogging community we had back in 2007, as well, but you're right that change is natural and expected.
Fall is on the way!!!! Hang in there!!! :)
I think everything is fun and exciting when it first starts out but it can be hard to keep the momentum going. So many people have given up altogether and left blogging, which I think is a real shame. Leaves you wondering how they are and what they're doing. So glad you're not giving up, Chris. You would be sorely missed.
August always gets to me too and I live in a temperate climate. Just so much going on that blogging takes a back seat. Never mind, as Pat just said, RIP is now here!
Awww, sweetie, what a bittersweet post. Oh my, how I miss those blogging days too. But yeah, no matter how much things change or how little time we all have for blogging, I LOVE LOVE LOVE knowing that the handful of really close friends I've made through blogging will ALWAYS be in my life (well, as long as they'll have me anyway :P ). *HUGS*
Btw, cannot wait to email you--Rich and I have come up with an awesome plan and it involves you. :D
*hugs* 2007 was a fantastic year of blogging, huh? I do miss the blogging community of yesterday. Maybe it's because the community was smaller and there was less pressure for a ton of views and stuff.
What you're feeling is normal. I have an ex who goes through something similar every year but for him it seems to be more of a rage than depression.
One good thing about summer is that Carl started the R.I.P. Challenge early again. :-)
yeah, I agree with this post! I think it was never going to be possible to sustain previous levels of blogging forever. It's still nice to find some old friends now and again, though. :)
I have the same problem with summer, like Seasonal Affective Disorder only in reverse. Too much sunlight, too much heat. Every year I say it isn't going to get the better of me. Every year there comes a point, in July or August, when I realize I haven't done anything...in weeks.
But, yes. Autumn is knocking on the door. Thank goodness!
You too! I was just thinking about blogging today... I haven't been blogging much AT ALL lately and it's really too bad, but I've just been busy. I'm trying to file it under "all things in their right time and place" and not worry about it much, but I do miss it. Maybe I'll go write a post right now!
This is one of those weird copacetic moments. I was just thinking the other day how much I missed the old blogging community, and things like the Weekly Geeks and the Readers Carnival (and, of course, Dewey).
Change is good, but change can break your heart a little bit.
I started blogging right at the end of 2007, and I miss that energy a lot.
Of course, as of today, I haven't blogged since the last readathon in April and I'm trying to decide what to do with justaddbooks.
Anyway. I just wanted to add my 2c and say that I miss talking to people (mostly my own fault; I haven't really been "around" as such)
You're still one of my favourite people :3
YES. You've perfectly described how I feel towards blogging as of late. So many people have gone in different directions and even though group of us who have stuck around are branching out and trying new things. Seven years is a long time and I guess we couldn't have thought that things would always be the same. Our lives inevitably change and even though it's hard to reconcile the change sometimes it's a good and real thing.
I too yearn for the olden days but I also feel that sometimes blogging now for some of us seems much deeper than it was back then? I'm not sure how to make sense of that other than the fact that we have really come to know one another and let our true and real selves shine through our posts. Not that we weren't in the olden days but there is more depth now? Or maybe I'm just making up the whole thing. ;)
Hugs dear blogging friend.
*hugs* 2007 was when i first "found" book blogs and really started blogging on that theme myself, so i know what you mean. The community seemed smaller and a little more personal. I know my blogging regularly took a nosedive when I started my master's in 2011; it really came down to having time to write good posts or having time to actually read! summer in LA is depressing anyway, with the hot/humid-midday rain-even more humid evening pattern it seems to have. I hope the heat and your funk dissipate tomorrow!
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