Blogging vs. Family Life

I mentioned in my most recent podcast (on the other website) that after we put the Christmas decorations away around January 4, my brain decided it had had enough. I’m not going to discuss all that since I addressed it over there, but simply offer it as background.

One of the things I decided over the past few weeks is that instead of fitting in my family life around website work, podcasting, and blogging, I was going to begin fitting those in around family life. That might not sound like a big deal, but it’s a profound shift in my mind.

That’s the main reason why I haven’t been writing much here after I spent a few weeks dividing this website into two websites. I decided that when I have the time and energy to write something and I feel motivated, I’ll do it. Otherwise, I simply won’t. (To be honest, I’m writing this post today because I’ve started to get inquiries if I’m okay since I haven’t posted here in weeks.)

For the past three plus years, I’ve put creating urgent and timely content over many other things in my family’s life, in my personal life, and at the cost of creating other content for this website. I’ve sacrificed a lot to do it as have my husband and daughter. I’ve lost readers who didn’t want to deal with that content for whatever reason. I don’t regret it because I believe it was vitally important. If all that work gave just one other family the information they needed to prepare in advance for unfolding events and avoid a life-changing disaster, then it was worth it. But I no longer feel that responsibility which I also addressed in the podcast.

So last night instead of writing a blog post about simple living, I caught up on my mending and listened to some podcasts without feeling that I needed to share the information. Instead of recording podcasts about the sophisticated war games impacting us, I’ve been playing more board games with David and Caroline. Instead of writing about gracious Christian parenting, I’ve been having unhurried conversations with my daughter. Instead of taking valuable life time in the morning to figure out how to appease the Big Tech gods before Caroline gets up and we need to start our homeschooling day, I’ve been doing just kind of whatever I feel motivated to do around the house in the moment.

I hope this helps you understand the quietness around here. It’s not lack of interest, ideas, or content. It’s not even necessarily a lack of motivation a lot of the time. I still find the topics on both of my websites endlessly interesting. Both websites could easily take up the time of a full-time job if I let them.

Oftentimes, I did put in the hours of a full-time job for weeks on end for no reason other than the hope that someone would read the right information and avoid making tragic decisions for their loved ones. I truly care about the people who read what I write. I am cognizant of the fact that behind every page view is a real person with an eternal soul and a real life of real needs. It’s not some abstract thing to me and it never has been over the past eighteen years.

But at this point in history, the truth is everywhere when you get yourself to the point where you are willing to see it. I’ve shared a framework of ideas I use to help me try to process what is going on. People are free to use, modify, or reject what I’ve offered. But I don’t believe it’s necessary for me to point it out every day any longer since I’ve given people tools and resources they can use.

So that’s an update. We’re all healthy and fine. I took one for the team last week and watched (paid money to rent!) that dreadful Pride and Prejudice (2005) again so Caroline and I could discuss the various merits of three different video adaptations (1980, 1995, and 2005). (See my review from many years ago here: Pride and Prejudice (2005) Review.) We’re now in the middle of The Young Victoria as we make our way through an in-depth study of England, the Middle Ages, literature, architecture, and more.

And as the perfect example of why I needed to make these changes, this post has taken me well over two and a half hours to get done (interspersed with phone calls regarding church business). Now I’m behind with getting dressed, eating lunch, and being ready to homeschool. The experience of writing this post today proved exactly what I am endeavoring to avoid. God is good to confirm what I’m writing in real time.

I’ll be in and out as life allows. ♥