Photo credit: Amy Hess Photography
4 years ago, I sat down to write my first blog post. I had no idea where it would take me or why I even decided to write it there instead of in a journal. I had no idea what blogging even was, or that it would still be something I did four years down the road.
A year into it, I switched from Wordpress and came to Blogger because it seemed as though more people were using it and I could connect more with them that way. I started writing more, reading more, and finding my voice. I pursued passions and hobbies and began to receive opportunities that I didn't know were possible.
The past four years have had their ups and downs, and this blog has been there to document it all. And so have the relationships with women all over the world that I've made while coming to this space each day. Not only have I learned a lot about myself in this process, but I've learned so much about other people, cultures, and ways of life.
This post makes 1,000 published posts here. That's absolutely insane, yet it makes me extremely proud and I can't help but feel accomplished. In a time where nothing seemed to make any sense, this place did. I poured my heart and soul into my writing when I kissed Z goodbye and sent him overseas for the first time. I wrote about my pregnancy here, a pregnancy that Z missed and only knew about from our brief phone conversations, pictures I showed him, and posts I wrote. This space has been there for me through multiple moves, a second pregnancy, a second deployment, and so much more.
Where is it going? Who knows. I change my mind like I change my clothes, and I'll never have a definite answer. I write to write; I write because it feels as though that's what I was meant to do. I've never had something come easier. Some people excel in sports, carpentry, crafting, science, whatever. For me, it's always been writing. And I'll continue to do it for as long as I live.
Thank you to everyone who's supported me on this journey. Whether you've commented once or 100 times, thank you. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and for your encouragement over the past few years. Military life isn't easy. Motherhood isn't easy. Moving isn't easy. A lot of things over the past few years haven't been easy. But within this community and my passion, I've found it to be a lot more manageable.
I struggle everyday to find my "place" in this big old world. I worry that I'm not doing it right; that I'm not a good enough wife, mother, writer, whatever. That I'm not pretty enough, skinny enough, or successful enough. But coming here everyday reminds me I don't have to be perfect. I'm free to just be me. I'm surrounded by other women with the same struggle and people who are following along with my journey because I'm me. And I'm enough.
