Nine years ago today, I pushed the publish button for the first time on this site, sending my first blog post out into the world. That small act was enormously, and equal parts, scary and healing. I was coming off a year marked by debilitating anxiety and depression that coincided with my divorce, and I was still trying to find my footing on what was still very shaky ground.
This blog was one way that I chose to process my thoughts and feelings about everything happening in my life, and even though I launched this blog primarily for myself, I also hoped that it may encourage, educate, or even, entertain someone else. While so much has changed since then, that hope remains the same.
If you had told me nine years ago that I would still be blogging today, I probably would have believed you. I always have loved writing, and when I returned to it, I knew it was something that I would not let go of again. I didn’t. I haven’t. And I won’t.
What has changed is pretty much everything else, and much to my surprise and delight, the changes have been overwhelmingly for the better. If you had told me this nine years ago, I probably would have responded with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Steel Magnolias. Are you high, Claree?! With or without mind-altering substances, life is not, and will never be, perfect, but right now, for the most part, it is good. Really, really good!
When I began blogging, I had no idea that the divorce, depression, and anxiety were only the beginning of the other challenges that awaited me. My forties felt like a never-ending test of my emotional, spiritual, and physical strength and endurance that I seemed destined to fail. Breast cancer. The loss of my sweet friend to breast cancer. The loss of my dear friend to suicide. The end of a significant relationship. The demise of some of my friendships. Despite all of this, and other significant changes, like moving and changing careers, much to my surprise, and much to the surprise of others, I didn’t fail. I passed, and I survived.
So, here I am, nine years later, thriving in my fifties, engaged to the love of my life, on the verge of becoming an empty nester in a couple months, re-evaluating my personal and professional goals, and navigating the world, as we continue to grapple with the global pandemic and social injustice. So, while this is the end of another year of blogging, it’s the beginning of more stories to tell, good, bad, and everything in between, but always true.
Thank you for tolerating my ramblings these past nine years and for supporting me along the way. Here’s to the next year and many more, and here’s to you for being along for the ride!
And that’s another story. . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
Woohoo❤️❤️
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Thanks so very much!
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