This month is the sixth anniversary of blogging for me. It also means that we have been living in Philadelphia these past six years, for, originally, I used my blog to help the transition from New York to Pennsylvania, one job to another, old friends to new ones, and our Buffalo house to our new Philadelphia home.
So, not only is it 2011 - ahead is a new blogging year as well. I have been thinking about how blogging has changed since I started six years ago. I had more readers then, and my posts were a lot longer than they are now. And, talking of focus, I seemed focused on self-alteration, or at the very least, trying to understand my Self more and more through writing publicly about that.
In August this year, I have signed up for, and plan to participate in a workshop with Natalie Goldberg in Taos, New Mexico. My hope is to figure out a way to to write a memoir - find a focus, and tell my life story. My brain constantly shoots out thoughts, ideas and angles of my life, but I feel overwhelmed with information and memories to choose from. I like the idea of a silent retreat and daily writing exercises, and am hoping Goldberg's expertise will guide me to my memoir path.
I asked Santa for journals on my Christmas list, and indeed received a few of those [Thanks, S., J., & T.]. Natalie Goldberg requires us to hand-write our pieces. Those I will certainly do. For I try to be a good student! However, I have been thinking that this year I will also use my blog for writing exercises. No doubt about it, blogging has been invaluable in exercising and improving my writing skills these past six years. As I type away, I consider the readers out there, and at times even receive comments from the few remaining visitors to my posts.
Today, I hail the sixth anniversary, and tilt my blog slightly in a different direction, with a slightly changed focus: writing skills.
However, understanding my Self through writing will most certainly still be included. For most of the writing exercises Natalie Goldberg suggests, come from places deep within our emotional memory banks.
Happy sixth anniversary, Tamar! Gosh that must mean that my sixth is next month - where did those six years go?
All my best wishes for your memoir project. Such a deeply personal undertaking - I kind of think it must probably take the shape and the time that it needs to. You can open you heart and mind and do lots of things to help the memories flow, of course, and I'm sure the retreat with Natalie Goldberg will be amazing. But then, who knows where it will all take you, and how much you'll be able to control it - and it might be most exciting and worthwhile if you can't...
xxxxx
Posted by: Jean | January 04, 2011 at 03:25 PM
Hi there, Jean. I love this comment so much. It taps so perfectly into how I am feeling about all of this. Isn't it amazing that you and I have been blogging for this long? The beauty of it is that we became friends through it, too!
Much love,
Tamar
Posted by: tamarika | January 05, 2011 at 07:26 AM
I'm a little late. I almost missed your 6th Blogaversary Tamarika. Congratulations on this milestone. Many things have changed in the blogosphere in those years...I feel it too. We may not visit back and forth as much as we did, but I still appreciate the warmth and sincerity of blogging friends like you. Cheers! ~Joy
Posted by: Joy | January 08, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Dear Joy,
Thank you so much for stopping by! It's amazing how we have all continued blogging through all the changes swirling around us!
Best wishes,
Tamarika!
Posted by: tamarika | January 09, 2011 at 08:18 AM