I’ve been a bit MIA on the blog. I’m fine and the family is fine but there’s no doubt that the demands of life lately have taken a back seat to posting here on the blog. Today on Facebook, the photo below showed up as the memory from 4 years ago today:
This was taken on the day of my first race after moving to California in July of 2012. The photo in About Melissa section (see here) was taken right before this race happened. If you look closely at the photo, I’m wearing a small fuse bead heart (a camp project from a then 5 year old Wild Boy) that became the logo and the inspiration for calling this blog thevalentineRD.com. Today’s trip down memory lane reminded me that it’s been quite a long time since I’ve been here written a word, so I did something different and wrote.
In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to recently, here’s what I’ve been doing lately (except blogging):
1. Parenting
Yes, you can parent while still being a consistent blogger but it seems that I don’t do that very well. Writing blog posts is a long and arduous process for me (even though I enjoy sharing experiences and how it makes me an active part of the wellness blogging community) and it just had to give over the past few months.
Bottom line: My kiddo needed more of my attention and I gave it to him.
2. Teaching yoga.
I finished with Yoga Teacher Training in December and quickly started teaching at Stadium Fitness Yoga in Pasadena. I did a lot of sub work but soon found myself teaching 3 regular classes per week (see here for my schedule). In addition, I did a few classes at Athleta Pasadena, taught two classes at the Inspirator Retreat with Erin Kreitz Shirey in Avila Beach, CA and created and kicked off the inaugural Duran Duran Yoga class in New York City.
Yup, that’s me. Taken at a Lululemon LA event. Photo: Will Haraldson
Believe it or not, it takes a lot of work to create playlists and sequences and since I do most things slowly, teaching yoga definitely took me away from blogging on the regular. I enjoy teaching yoga but I’ve found that if you don’t make time to cultivate your own personal practice and continue to educate yourself, your foundation as a student and a teacher crumbles and you approach burn out very quickly.
3. Traveling.
In addition to two mini work/vacation trips (see #2), I also went on a family vacation this summer for an entire month! Our family got to experience a week in London, a week in Paris, a week in the Midi-Pyrenees and a week in our old stomping grounds, New York City. The idea of this trip was just a dream last year but we made it a reality with a ton of planning. The stress of planning such an extensive trip left little room for inspired writing (but it did leave lots of room for lots of very cool Instagram posts that documented much of our experience)
The infamous Abbey Road in London. It’s actually a busy street. We were lucky that morning.
4. Engaging in other forms of social media.
I haven’t been blogging but I’ve been on a huge Instagram tear. Jay and Wild Boy joked all through Europe that I needed to take photos before we ate anything or moved on to something new. I tried Snapchat (but now with Insta stories, who needs it?) but the fact that it wasn’t intuitive frustrated me. I’ll stick with Facebook (which has gotten a little too overcurated for my taste) and Instagram for now. I miss the days of Twitter conversations….
A recent Insta post with my favorite guy from the Sting & Peter Gabriel show at the Hollywood Bowl this summer.
5. Running on the treadmill of my own brain.
No physical running for over a year and half has been depressing but part of the reason I haven’t been back to the blog is because I set goals for myself publicly here and never reached them. Facing your own disappointment isn’t easy. Having to rub a little salt into the wound while writing about failing (again!) at reaching (or even making progress toward) intentions or goals is downright painful. Instead, I’ve spent more time than necessary in my own head about how I haven’t done what I wanted to do this year (on the blog and in general) and kept it inside rather than sharing what feels like incessant whining in my head.
*******
It’s September 1st and the last quarter of 2016 is here. While I’m not making any promises about what I plan to accomplish or even say that I’ll post more regularly, I did want to share that I have missed blogging and being a part of a community that I truly love.
The blogosphere has changed dramatically in the past few years and in my mind not for the better – people closing their comments (and their blogs overall), the dramatic shift to visual (Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and now even Facebook Live!) versus words, the lack of true human stories (and the increase in sponsored posts and “stories” concocted just to sell products through affiliate links) and just the sheer number of blogs out there. It’s not easy to keep up.
We all have demands on our time and the way we deal with our own stresses is what makes up our character. My character has been one of retreat from more than just the blogging world and I’m ready for that to change. One step forward into a new month. Let’s see what it brings…..
