I can't even believe I'm typing that out. A whole year of hunger and gladness! Who'da thought?
When I started this thing on January 3, 2016, it was almost just an explosive decision - "YEP I'M DOING IT RIGHT NOW OKAY GO HERE WE GO THIS IS IT." Otherwise, I don't think it would've happened.
Because of that, I didn't really set up goals for myself. I had loose intentions around the kind of content I wanted to create -- nothing particularly concrete. But I have learned some fascinating lessons about self-discipline, what works, what doesn't, and the art of going for it. It has been such an interesting year.
When I sat in our living room and wrote my first post last year, I remember feeling absolutely terrified. I read and re-read the original post aloud to Jordan and made him give it an "Okay." I had written a blog before, but I was in high school and impervious to other people's opinions of me. Now as a late-20's adult, I feel the sting of other people's judgment a bit more harshly. And because of that keen awareness, I waited a long time before finally opening Squarespace and typing my title - "Deep Hunger, Deep Gladness" (more on why it's called that here). I've always felt relatively confident as a writer, but the idea of starting a blog - unsolicited, just for fun, felt OH so vain and gross.
But the truth is, I LOVE writing. I always have. My shelves are filled with journals I kept as a child - there are bad poems, really bad poems, and lot of mundane "Today, I did this. It made me feel like this." Bad as it was, it was writing. It's always been around.
And this is where I say THANKS.
I sincerely, deeply, whole-heartedly appreciate every e-mail or text of encouragement, any "Likes" you've thrown my way on Facebook, any sharing of my posts with people you know. Not because it makes the blog more popular or gets it more readers, but because I genuinely can't believe that you take the time to sit at your computer or pick up your phone and read something I wrote that's being beamed to you through the Internet. WHAT. Seriously, though, right?? Isn't that crazy? I know.
I feel so happy and proud to have overcome some self-doubt and just get this blog into the world. It's small, don't get me wrong, but it happened.
Anyway, to keep this from sounding like some kind of acceptance speech, I'm wrapping it up. Having looked through every single one of the year's 171 blog posts, I pulled linked 25 that I'm most proud of (and none of them are Bachelor-related. But, to be clear, I am proud of 100% of those Bachelor posts because they are stupid and frivolous and we all need some of that nonsense in our lives).
Thank you for helping me by reading this little blog. It fulfills something very big in my heart. And if you're sitting on your hands, wondering if you should go for it (whatever "it" may be), ya gotta listen to me because I have to tell you something:
Go for it.
If I Had A Blog, Would You Read It?
Run Your Race, Tell the Truth
You Have Too Much Stuff
27 Lessons
Have I Told You I'm A Christian?
How to Rock at Weddings
Review: Pure Barre
My Favorite Song
A Letter to Brides
DIY in One Million "Easy" Steps
DIY: Return of the Chairs
DIY: Revenge of the Chairs
DIY: THE CHAIRS ARE DONE
Taking a Compliment
5 Myths About Food
Bikini Body
If You Are White
Happy Anniversary, Jordan
An Open Letter to Middle School Girls
Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian Have Something In Common: Us
Story of My Wedding Shoes
How Tom Hanks Changed My Life
Stop Yelling: Ask, "Why?"
The Best Story Jordan Knows
It's Going to Be Okay, But First