Renewal

On June 14, 2005 I quoted one of my favorite artists, Georgia O’Keefe:

I decided to start anew — to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true my own thinking. This was one of the best times of my life. There was no one around to look at what I was doing, no one interested, no one to say anything about it one way or another. I was alone and singularly free, working into my own unknown — no one to satisfy but myself. I began with charcoal and paper and decided not to use any color until it was impossible to do what I wanted to do in black and white. I believe it was June before I needed blue.

I started this blog one year ago with one mission: to document another quickly passing year before my memory fades. The kids are growing like beans, their life compressed in a blur of wonderful, remarkable moments of discovery. If not for myself, I’ve been motivated to return to the page every day (or maybe not as often, while I always try) knowing that a grandparent or a travelling Damon may be curious to see what we are doing from day to day. It’s a powerful tool, this added external pressure.

A year has already whirred by and I’m ruffled in its wake. But I’m finding a new perspective in this drift, like one does when the painting is turned sideways, and I’m finding that there’s room for more than me:
There’s the mother I’ve never met who wakes up on a Saturday morning, or the mother who takes time during her child’s naptime and spends a minute not only to read my latest post, but to comment on it. There’s the wonderful writer I admire who, at every post, encourages me to keep writing by leaving constructive criticism. And then there’s the enormous mass of you who may never comment at all, but who I am AMAZED and flattered to know spend their time coming back to pick up whatever peanuts I’ve left on the blog. Our humble life here in central Texas plays out to the swirling symphony of children and crickets and a running dishwasher and lo, I’ll be damned if there isn’t someone pulling up this blog on his or her computer every few seconds. The comments are flattering, and every single one is cherished, but the actual traffic (the stats I pull up and analyze–and I do!) just blows me away.

Thank You.

And now, it’s time to renew. I thought it would be nice to make a list of blog priorities:

1. I need a gallery.
2. I need to share more creative catalysts, soul vitamins. Tutorials.
3. I’m still going to relentlessly catblog about my children, no apologies
4. The blog is getting a spa treatment, as time warrants
5. To be fair, there will probably be plenty of house-building drama this year. Add category.
6. And when I need mental vacation, like a long-winded haiku I will continue to post a moment of zen from the day.
7. New category: (drumroll) Home. Schooling.
( Hark! Rattling crickets! Frantic nail-biting!)

Peace. And thanks for stopping by,
*s