Writing Until the World Can Fall Together Again

Many years ago when I hit PUBLISH here for the first time, I was so unsure of my future–mourning over the loss of my marriage, and trying to focus on a joyful, grateful heart–no matter how fleeting the feeling was some days. I was working to redefine my life. Writing was a big piece of this journey, and, unexpectedly, I became connected to thousands of people through my writing. They followed me on social media, left comments here, and reached out privately to share their experiences and thoughts.

When people asked why I stopped blogging, I always said because life is so busy now, which is an honest statement. 2014 was the last year I wrote with any regularity, but even that year was a lot less than previous years. 2014 was the year Sean and I married, merged two homes into one (a very painful process–I don’t recommend it), and my business exploded. Yes, I was limited in time. But was that the only reason?

Lately, my fingers have been twitching with a need to write again. But until I discovered within me the “why” of that need, I didn’t want to leap back into blogging.

“Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together.” ~Marilyn Monroe 

Contemplating the “why,” I realized that life “fell together” for me. I shared in my writing grief, heartache, triumph, uncertainty, joy, confidence, frustration, and more over the years while pursuing being that naked girl in a dress.

Looking back, what was there to write about after 2014? What I was working towards had come to fruition. There were still challenges and insights into living a happy life, but the urgency just wasn’t there to type words and hit PUBLISH.

But something deep inside me knew I wasn’t done. Some bloggers I came up with many years ago have pulled their blogs down. Others have rebranded with a new writing focus. Like me, another percentage transitioned into different opportunities in the digital space. Even though I have only written two blog posts in the last three years, I remained firm in leaving this site up. I am not sure if I knew I would be back or I just didn’t want to take my writing down for others (dormant, this site still has thousands of page views per month).

If the “falling apart” is what brought me into this blogging world, and the “falling together” was the impetus to fade from this space….

Why return to writing now?

In the last year, our world has been falling apart, and there’s no sign we are turning a corner to happier days. Every single day this reality seeps into my psyche, and it’s impacting me. From what I see around me, I am not alone.

I have come to fully understand why my fingers want to get back to work; they want to help me find my way back to more happiness, joy, peace, and a deeper appreciation for what is truly good in this world. At times in our lives, we have to work harder towards achieving peace and happiness. That is the time to be more vigilant in our efforts. For me, an essential part of the path involves writing.

If you are new here, welcome. Take a look around to discover the body of my work here. To my veteran readers, thanks for coming back to join in the conversation again. May we all work towards greater peace, joy, and gratitude in 2018.

~Kelly