It’s been over two months since I last sat down to write a post on A Light In The Darkness and I actually can’t believe it. I haven’t been active in the blogosphere at all, no commenting, no liking, apart from keeping in touch with and following the updates of a few good friends, I’ve been completely and utterly absent.
In my letter to you guys (my final post) I explained my reasons for this break:
As much as I love blogging and all the opportunities it has created for me, I feel the need to get out there and live life. It’s the only way I’ll be a true light in the darkness, the only way I’ll make a real difference.
I want to be young, to be free, to go out there and have fun, spend time with my family, learn, prepare for my future and spread the sunshine. Therefore I have decided to take a short break from blogging.
My decision to take a break from the blogosphere is tinged with sadness, but I know it’s the right thing to do. I’ll miss all the amazing friends I’ve made on my journey, but I hope you’ll be there for me when I come back.
Goodbye…but never forever, guys!
Love,
Gracie
But now I’m back, after two months, and I feel like I’m ready to start blogging again. Maybe this time I’ll have more of a sense of direction. Firstly though, before I get back to regular posting, I need to share with you all a few things I’ve learned about myself throughout this break and my conclusion at the end of two months without blogging.
Here goes:
I was addicted to blogging. I’m being totally honest here and believe me, it’s hard. I was sucked into this whole cycle of posting and commenting and replying and completely immersing myself in a world that’s not even real. I was creating an image of what I wanted others to see me as, I was crafting a life for myself that was seperate to the direction my real life was heading in. And what’s worse is that I was forgetting my family, all the opportunities to learn and grow in the real world.
I relied on online friends. These couple of months have been harder than ever when it comes to friendships. It’s always a nagging problem at the back of my mind (and often in the front too), but over the time period that I wasn’t blogging, things got almost unbearable. I was traveling on a boat on the canal and I hardly ever hung out with any kids at all, let alone any my own age. I realised I’d been remedying my lack of real life friendships with online ones. I still haven’t found a solution to this issue, but I’m working on it. 😃
When you’re not distracted by blogging, life can be so much fun. The time spent not blogging wasn’t easy at all, for many reasons, but it did have good times. I don’t know if anyone else finds this, but I think blogging can be pretty stressful. It felt wonderful to be freed from that pressure. I had more spare time to spend in conversation with my family, learning new things, writing, reading, teaching and just being fully involved in day-to-day life.
You can make more of a difference by taking action and being yourself than just by writing about it. Blogging is a brilliant opportunity to be a light in the darkness, but sometimes it’s just about getting out there. I know I keep saying this, but blogging isn’t real life! It’s easy to write about making a difference, but it takes someone strong to decide to really go ahead and do it.
So there you go, Gracie is back. You’re going to notice a difference in me from now on, a positive one. I may not be quite so active in the blogosphere, but that’s only because I’ll either be out living real life, making a difference or posting about my experiences!
As I said in my letter, I hope you guys are still there. Hello? I hope you’re still willing to listen and still happy to share your thoughts with me. Anyway, here’s a goodbye from me that will hopefully spark lots of ‘hellos!’ from all of you. Xxx
P.S. After reading this through, I actually felt quite emotional. It’s good to be back, guys. 😊😊😊😊😊😊
