It wasn’t really a “rule” in the first place. (Even before I start, I’m getting defensive about this…) It was a commitment I made—to myself—on the day I started this blog. To write a post every single day.
I stuck to this faithfully. At least, until recently–when faithful readers have complained noticed a change. Even some unfaithful readers have noticed.
There’s a reason I stopped blogging every day. It’s because once I stopped eating chocolate.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I got really serious—and stringent—about nutrition. I eliminated all meat, all dairy, all sugar and all fat—and that meant my daily ration of chocolate didn’t quite fit into my food groups. I was completely committed. I didn’t want to see See’s. Not a morsel of chocolate passed my lips. Not a piece of candy. Not a chocolate chip. Not even a chip of a chocolate chip.
Everyone who knew me was amazed. I was as skinny as I’d ever wanted to be. And I was miserable. So I made a very conscious choice—to bring brown back into my life.
It’s not that I’m miserable. It’s not that a blog could ever be compared to cancer. It’s not that a daily post in any way resembles the torture of a chocolate-free life.
Though there are some similarities: I lived without chocolate every single day for 6 months. I wrote a blog every single day for 7 months. This definitively establishes the outer limit of my ability to stick with anything that requires discipline.
The other reason I went back to chocolate was about quality. Not quality of chocolate—I’m happy with Hershey’s. I mean quality of life.
It’s the same with this blog.
Structure is great. So is spontanaeity. I want both for my blog—and my life. At this point I have two blogs and one life—-and I want to keep that one life in balance. So as the boss, I’m officially giving myself permission to break my promise—as of now.
I’ll be blogging at least as much as I am now—but without setting the daily timer. Which fits with who I am, anyway. Naturally some organized and orderly types suggest that I keep to a regular schedule. These are obviously people who don’t know me very well—or didn’t see my recent post about my desk. If that includes you, I hope you’ll click here and subscribe so you get all posts automatically–that way, neither of us will stress about it.
Meanwhile I’m going with the flow, and hope you will too.
In regard to: “Meanwhile I’m going with the flow, and hope you will too.”
O. K., fine! I’m not happy about it, but as someone who hasn’t written an opinion piece for my own web site in half of forever, I cannot hold myself up as a role model. Furthermore, I’m getting your blog for free, so by all rights, “you da boss!” I’ll just sniffle and whine to myself.
I admired your commitment and wished I could do as well. But I also understand the oppression of a promise. I never made such a promise on my blog and yet still feel oppressed.
Everyday is okay, more, it is good, if it is writing just to write. When it is writing in case anyone else is listening (or worse, because everyone else — at leat everyone you know — is listening and waiting, and expecting something) it quickly becomes oppression.
Nevertheless, I hope you will write often. When I have nothing to say myself, and trawl around the sites, and find that there is nothing new under the sun, I always was pretty sure I could find something new chez Darryle.
BTW, and speaking of trawling, it’s time you had a blogroll. I am in a bit of a rut and keep looking for some new links… You must know some interesting people! Maybe you could focus on that while you are not writing quite so much.
THANK YOU Duchess. I’d love to find time to seek out other people’s blogs more often–and make up a blogroll. Will put that on my list…. as soon as I find it. LOL.
And Mark–being the boss is the best part of this…”job”.
Darryle I will miss your every day blogs but will enjoy them whenever they appear in my inbox!
Thanks!!!!
Thank you. And I might just show up in your inbox more often than you expect.