One Year!!

And just like that, With Joy for the Work turns a year old!

I've been counting down the days to this blog anniversary for months now because I've been so excited to look back and see how far I've come and how much I've grown as a writer.

For one thing, hitting "publish" has gotten much easier. I still overthink more than I'd like to, but over the past twelve months I have actually gotten better at shutting off unproductive thought rabbit trails. This is something I'm super grateful for and had hoped would happen as I just kept posting. I pray it only continues to get better from here! :)

In going back and reading my introduction post, I am happy to see that I actually managed to accomplish, within a year, all that I set out to do. 

• I've proudly planted my blog in the here and now and have set out to be the best blogger I know how to be in the 2020s.
• I did end up creating a second blog, so now I've two things I'm posting on. But I created a second one because I have more things I want to share, not because I was pressured into doing something that was the "industry standard".
• I've written short essays and published them here.
• And this has continued to be a joyously unprofessional, personal blog and a pretty online space for me to grow as a writer and a person! 💛

If I'm being honest, though, I have struggled to keep it all these things due to comparison and self-doubt. And also as I've wondered how I want to blog in the 2020s. I wondered what did I want to take from the 2010s along with me as I blogged in the present, and what should I not because it was messing with the style I was trying to create for these days.

But even though I've strayed a bit from the blog's original principles because of fear, I'm grateful for this day to look back on the pillars I set, and, moving forward, I hope to recommit myself to those principles to keep the blog peaceful and safe, at least to me.

I'd also like to take this time to thank all of you for reading and commenting and following the blog. Thank you for letting me share with you my interests and my thoughts.

Life is really hard and I hope that my blog has been a place where you can come to and rest and where the thoughts slow down a bit and you feel as though you can take your time.

Happy anniversary, Blog!

And thanks for stopping by, friend! I'd love to know: Do you have a favorite blog post I've published here? If so, why is it your favorite?

Thanks again for reading!

Go be epic!!

"here i am" bryan Adams