Friday, November 14, 2008

Three years of blogging: a retrospective

My life has changed a lot in three years.

Before I started blogging, I sometimes did various journal type exercises to decide on my ideal life. Now I am moving treacle-like towards something very close to the ideas I sketched out. I don't think it was blogging that made these changes happen, but who knows?

To get to here, from there, I had to go through what I called at the time "my year of being". I'd forgotten the name until recently, but I remember realising at the end of 2004 that I simply wasn't acting on the goals that numerous journal exercises had concluded that I ought to be acting on. The Year of Being was a deliberate decision to drift: no long term plans, just to see what turned up.

What turned up was the Open University. I knew about it already, but never thought about it as a possibility for me. By chance, I found out about the T160 Woman Returners into Science, Engineering and Technology course that they were running. So I did that. And then I did the MA290 History of Maths course, and this year the AS208 History of Science. Next year, Latin will feature highly in my ratio studium.

The other major change is that I am no longer the mother of many small children. They don't quite count as a set of medium size children yet, but that is coming very soon. They still need me around, but it is mainly to be approximately here, while they go there. Somewhere I read on motherhood that "the minutes last an eternity, but the years fly by", and that is so true.




It is traditional, on one's blogerversary, to have a giveaway. My giveaway is the first of a series, and hopefully this one will be a bit of fun. Here are five little stacking craft pots: the winner will get these, and something to go in them based on their interests, whether it is beading, sewing, knitting or something else.
stacking pots


What you have to do is to comment on this post with a suggestion for a change I could consider for the next three years. It could be a major one, a minor one, or somewhere in between. The winner will be picked at random on or after the 24th November. If you have a blog, it might be nice to mention this giveaway there, but certainly not a requirement. And feel free to join in even if this is your first visit here.

4 comments:

Shan said...

Well the problem is I don't like to tell you what to do. I don't often think of other people's blogs in terms of what could be improved - I only think of MY blog that way...dunno why.

But your new post prompted me to comment anyway, so I am looking for something to tell you to do...so far I'm only coming up with your header which is a little inobtrusive. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

See? Can't do it.

Shan said...

I forgot to say, ever since I read this entry a few days ago I've been thinking about that "moments last forever, years fly by" line. I'd never heard it and its truth is striking. It keeps popping into my head and I've even said it two or three times to other people.

Penny said...

That line is very powerful, isn't it.

Just to avoid doubt, the change doesn't have to be blog related. I nearly posted two examples of a change - "eat more carrots" or "move to New Zealand". So it could be a realistic change or a fantasy change.

Roobeedoo said...

I'm not just commenting to be entered for the prize draw, honest!
This post got me thinking about my own blogging and how motivational it can be. I am certain that I would not have made so much progress with my knitting and sewing if I hadn't felt that my "audience" was out there egging me on. And being part of a community of like-minded people who inspire me to take part in knitalongs or cook their recipes or recycle more - it's all good!
I wondered what you were studying - well done! Latin is great fun!