Enjoying 16 years and settling into the comfortable groove of a space to call home

If this blog is a child, at 16 years, it would be now a young adult, and quite possibly making the questionable decisions that all young adults make, while testing the boundaries of adulthood. Everyone at 16 years old thinks they know everything, that they can conquer the world, and that no one understands them LOL 😛

It struck me a week ago that my blog anniversary had once again, passed me by without my noticing. I checked back, and for the first time in 16 years, I failed last year to commemorate the day this blog was born. There was absolutely no record, and I don’t even know if I remembered it belatedly. What a travesty!

While I’m over a month late, I had to put a note to celebrate this milestone, for being on this ride for so long 🙂

Much about the blogging scene has changed over the years since I started in 2007, and it’s something I’ve noticed and written about in the past. It is inevitable that it grows and evolves over time. Many popular bloggers who were contemporaries have gone on to be brands of their own. Many have also left the scene, or prefer to be on social media platforms where most attention is focused on these days. Even brands aren’t as interested to work with those who primarily blog (as opposed to being on Instagram or Tiktok), as the content is perceived to not be as visible.

While I might have lamented this change over time in the past, I no longer do. Change is inevitable, and it isn’t always for the worse, even if it might feel that way for a while. When I recounted my 12th year of blogging, I felt a little disheartened with how things were going. I did not feel good enough for anything, much less blogging.

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I was in a rough place, and this showed in my blog and how I felt about it. But when that hump passed, I didn’t feel any worse. In fact, since then, I’ve felt better about just settling into a little niche I’ve carved for myself. It’s like settling into your favourite seat at the park, where your bum recognises every little bump and hollow in the seat, settling itself comfortably to watch the world go by, with your dog at your feet.

OK I lie about the dog bit. Mine would be champing at the bit, wanting to go and smell every smell, person, dog, cat, or bird he sees in the park 😛

So why continue blogging, or to even maintain this space?

It’s a question I’ve been asked over the years, especially when Instagram exploded on the scene, and now Tiktok – why blog?

My answer has always been – well, you still search for information on Google don’t you? I don’t know of anyone who goes to Instagram to search for anything (it’s a mess if you even try!). I’m told that Tiktok is searchable, but man, who has time (or energy) to be making videos all the time LOL! If I couldn’t even sustain a little dabble into YouTube, what makes you think I’d be able to survive Tiktok? 😛

The main reason I maintain this site is because it’s mine. Unlike a social media platform, where you are at the mercy of its owners and their whims and fancies (have you seen the shitshow that’s Twitter lately?!) you decide how you want your blog to look, and what you want to write in it. It could be the most inane of subjects, or it could be the most profound – but it’s yours.

The popularity of a social media platform will wax and wane, but your website is yours to populate, or leave barren as you will. Granted, you may never achieve the sort of popularity on a website/blog as you may on a social media platform these days as compared to before, but that will depend on the quality of your content, how helpful it is, and how relevant it is to people. Food recipe blogs do remain very popular, as recipes don’t change much over time, and people always need to eat. Tech, fashion, beauty or any subject that thrives on trends or current issues will go out of date often if it’s about product or a specific item/issue.

I’ve had my own share of ups, downs and frustrations with maintaining the blog, when sometimes it has felt like a chore. I’ve taken long leaves of absence, and I’ve shared my share of dubious opinions (people do change their views over time, when presented with new information you know). But it’s not something I ever thought to shut down, simply because it’s a fun little outlet I can look to, for a bit of a brain dump.

Some people have noticed that I’m a little more prolific recently than I have been in recent years (thank you for noticing!), and it is by conscious choice. I make it a point to write and shoot photos for 1 blog post a week, be it a product review, or a observation, or just a bit of musing. Sometimes, I share more than 1 post a week! It’s about maintaining a momentum, so I don’t fall into an inert state of being, where it is just easier to let things slide to a halt and get on with my life, than to write. Writing is not a chore – the photography and imagery is LOL!

Anyway, this pensive rambling is just me saying in a roundabout way “I cannot believe we’ve been here for 16 years!” 😀 For some of you, “I cannot believe you’ve been reading my blog for 16 years!”

I’ve met readers who started out as college students, and who are now parents (!); or who are like me, entering our middle-age part of life and navigating our white hair, dry skin and wondering if we’re perimenopausal LOL 😀 Whichever stage you are in life, if you’ve come across my blog and chose to stay for the ride because it’s one you’re on, or that resonates with you, thank you 🙂

It’s nice to know that I haven’t been just speaking into the ether these past 16 years.

xoxo

Paris B