Unintended Silence

Photos from our trip to France at the beginning of the month

Several weeks ago, Joe, Jasper and I were wandering around a local shopping mall here in Stavanger. We hadn't been there in well over a year and were feeling a little disoriented, it was Saturday (busy) and we were hungry so we pulled off to the side to try to come up with a game plan.  In the midst of all this, a woman walked past us then turned back and said, "I love your blog." Feeling slightly embarrassed/shocked/confused I thanked her for the compliment and she went on to say how helpful it had been and she had appreciated my honesty.  As she walked away and I turned back to Joe slightly blushing, he says, "Do you know that lady?"  I laughed and rattled off a joke about being famous in Norway.  I couldn't help but smile when I thought of that encounter over the rest of the weekend.  I vowed that I'd make a real commitment to get back to blogging.

Fast forward to last week when an email popped up in my inbox with the subject line, "Please don't stop blogging." (Hi Sofi.)  The truth is, I haven't made any sort formal decision about my little piece of the internet.  There has been a lot of changes in the blogging world over the last couple of years and it seems to me that many of my online friends are blogging less frequently than before.  Other social media platforms have stepped up and many, myself included, are sharing little glimpses there instead of sitting down to write blog posts. Those mediums have been easier for me now that I find my days consumed by my little offspring.

I do miss writing. I miss sitting down, reflecting on experiences and travels and cataloguing them here.  I miss my interaction with you guys and the blogging community in general.  There certainly isn't a lack of content.  In fact, I often find myself writing in my head as we walk to the grocery store or in the shower or laying in bed at the end of the day but those posts never make it to the keyboard.

In the early days of motherhood, I had a newborn who refused to nap anywhere but on my chest but these days, I have an hour here and there to myself. I've had a lot of great intentions for those quiet moments, yoga and writing included, but often I sit down with a coffee and a book or a TV episode on Hulu and literally do nothing until I hear some stirring on the baby monitor.  While I may be less sleep deprived, I'm no less exhausted and garnering the energy and mind space for anything else just hasn't happened.

I guess what I'm saying is, I'm still here.  A new post might pop up here and there when inspiration and energy strike.  Until then, you can find me on Instagram posting an awful lot of Jasper pictures but also some travels and life around Stavanger.  (Say hello if you'd like - it's nice to put some faces and names to those of you who are silently following along.)