makeover

i've been thinking alot about this blog thing lately.  i started last august without really having a goal or philosophy at the time.  i jumped right into it after getting all excited about opening a shop on etsy (that took lots of courage), finding blogs (i'd never even really knew what that meant), & meeting some really nice people through teams on etsy (i once thought that people who talked to people on the internet were a little strange)!

i've transitioned a few times with my purpose for blogging.  i've bragged about my etsy shop  (resulting in probably little or no sales), i've learned a new thing or two from reading other people's blogs (very valuable in my opinion), i've gained tremendous computer skills & i've met some more really nice people (& i no longer thing it's strange)!

sometimes i find myself really enjoying what i post.  sometimes it's an effort & i post because i don't want to lose my friends who have been faithful in visiting me.  i've gone through periods when i commit to a "project" just to keep my juices flowing.  that doesn't work cause i find myself giving up & feeling like a ditz or failure.

so i'm asking myself.... why do i blog?  when i like it... i really like it!  when is that?  on the occasions when i share something really meaningful.  sometimes it's a little story about my family & sometimes it's a photo that is really special or an extremely good shot.  when i'm feeling emotional or sappy i try to stay away from the keyboard lest i say something too personal & make a fool of myself. 

so you may be wondering what this confession is leading up to???  i'm not saying goodbye but rather  i'm entering a new stage of blogging.  i'll call it my blog makeover (i know... probably not too original).  i started a couple days ago when i played with the new blogger designer templates.  i was bored with my old look but feared changing in case i screwed it up.  well, i didn't.  i'm liking the new look & have a few more ideas to test out.  i'm also gonna start writing about some things that really matter to me. 

my faithful readers.... don't be afraid now! i haven't gone off the deep end... really!  i'm not gonna get into all that deep, dark psycho-babble stuff (at least not too often).  i think it'll be more like not holding back when i feel the movement to speak from my heart!  i'm gonna share more of my moments... both happy & not! i'll post when i feel like it & won't if i don't. 

so today i was going through some old photos & other precious odds & ends i've saved over the years.  i found these beautiful cards by maya angelou who i just admire so much.  i'll leave you these words from the back of one of them....

"poet, author, entertainer, mother sister, friend, role model.  maya angelou is these things & more to people all over the world.... a universal voice of hope & inspiration.  with compassion & candor, her work speaks to the heart, inspiring us to love life, to persevere through its challenges & to share our gifts with others."

it doesn't get better than that!