I first had the desire to blog in the Summer of 2018 when I began my Master’s in Education. I was learning so much in my classes that connected with my faith, and I wanted somewhere to record all the thoughts I was having. I decided I didn’t have time, though.
The idea has popped back up over the last five years at various times. I love to write, and I love to think. I often write my thoughts down. It would be nice to be able to share those thoughts, but, y’all, that’s scary. The internet is a vicious and polarized place. I don’t know that my skin is thick enough to stand what people might throw my way. Actually, I know it isn’t thick enough.
So, what made me write? Two things have happened.
First, I finished pursuing a Master’s in Theological Studies. (I know, a second master’s degree is probably silly. I just love learning, and I crave being in a class setting when I am not in one!) I finally have some free time to read and write in a capacity that is not directly connected with a degree.
Second, my husband and I are scheduled to adopt embryos. I talk about our journey with infertility in Post #4 and Embryo Adoption specifically in Post #8. I wanted a way to document our journey and advocate for what I have come to believe is a great act of mercy.
There were other reasons I wanted to write, as well. My “pro” list included the following:
- There are amazing opportunities to create community in the blogging sphere.
- I love writing. I enjoy editing. I would like to do more of it.
- I am unhappy with some of the content I see out there about some topics about which I am passionate, and I would like to put my voice “in the ring” so to speak.
- I also have quite a few opinions about some topics about which I do not see much written.
I was nervous, though. I worried about the following things:
- I’m busy! How do I commit time without burning out?
- I’m afraid of what people might say!
- The logistics of putting together a website was overwhelming to me.
In typical fashion for me, I started trying to “solve” the cons.
#1 How do I move forward without burning out?
I often start out on a journey only to have my enthusiasm fizzle out. My husband Sean is typically a “finisher.” We work well together. It’s something I am grateful for in life. However, he is not going to be helping me finish and publish blog posts. That would not be fun to him, and he’s busy with his own (second) master’s program and work.
I decided to follow some wise advice (from my mom) and set my priorities low. I love to plan, and I love to dream. I could see myself trying to do a post every single day; I would dream of two years from now when I would write my hundredth post. Realistically, those two things will probably not happen. I decided that I am going to write at least once a week, and then I will write more when I feel like writing.
With that pressure taken off, I decided to apply Kenra Adachi’s “Lazy Genius Principles” in hopes of preventing burn out. If you have not read The Lazy Genius Way, stop now and go order it here! Kendra has a podcast called The Lazy Genius that you can find here. I really like her work; her tagline is “ Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” She has five Lazy Genius Principles. I write in Post #10 about how I applied the Lazy Genius Principles.
#2 Putting yourself out there is scary!
I knew that I wanted to write about my life in a way that felt authentic and transparent. This meant talking about my mental health and my family life, both of which are complicated. I worried that readers would write me off because I am too liberal or too conservative. I worried that readers would be turned off by my struggles with mental health. I worried that readers would judge our family decision to adopt embryos. In short, I worried. In September of 2022, I heard a speaker say that she often says in prayer, “Jesus, I love you more than I am afraid of ______.” I decided to put my worries about being judged into that blank and move forward.
#3 The logistics of putting together a website was overwhelming to me.
I wanted something simple and classy, and I did not want to spend hours dragging little boxes around and fighting with hex codes. Again, I am a dreamer, so I could spend way too much time on a website shell, and the reality is that it really does not matter. I told myself that I would just have to set a time restraint. I decided three hours sounded good. I spent three hours working on it, and then I stopped. I am sure I will want to update it and tweak it, but that will be my future self’s problem.
So now, I am on my way. I look at this venture as an opportunity to express myself, do something I enjoy, and possibly make some connections with like-minded people. For this season, it feels right, and I’m a big believer in living in your season. This is also a saying from Kendra Adachi, but it is also a Biblical principle. I write more about it in Post #5. I will probably not blog for forever, but I want to write as a part of my mission today.
Mission Today 