As you know, a few
months ago I decided that I needed to take a break. I did this for a
number of reasons. Part of it was because I was in the middle of a
divorce, which was emotionally taxing. Part of it was because I was
working on a side project (still am, actually). But mostly, it was
because blogging just wasn't fun anymore. In fact, I found it
downright stressful. I was blogging on a regular schedule, delivering
(or trying to, anyway) high-quality content, and spending large
amounts of time doing so. I was beginning to resent it.
I'm glad I took a
break. It gave me the time I needed to rest, heal, and reflect on my
goals. The truth is, I'm in a very different place than when I first
started this blog, relationship changes aside. I was working in a
very boring job with very little to do other than write. I had a
highly anxious, stressed, and reactive dog. I was very invested in
dog sports. And, I'll admit, I felt just a bit insecure, and tried to
get some of those needs met through this blog.
Things have
changed so much since then. I'm in a much better place in so many
respects: vocationally, emotionally, physically. Maisy is, too. In
fact, Maisy is doing so awesome that the name of this blog is a
downright lie now.
All of this means
that the nature of this blog must change.
Unrelated picture is unrelated. Courtesy of Sara Reusche. |
First, I'm keeping
the name, and the focus on reactive dogs. I teach reactive dog
classes and I do private behavior consults for Paws Abilities Dog Training, so this only makes sense. I will continue to write
educational posts, reflections on training and relationships with our
dogs, and seminar reports. However, I'm also going to share more
Maisy stories, even if they don't underscore any particular point. I
love my dog like crazy, and I want to share that with the world. I
may or may not share more about my personal life... we'll see.
Second, I'm
dropping the schedule. I will now post when I want instead of on set
days. I'm told this is terrible for increasing page views and all
that, but frankly, I figure that if readers have hung in there with
me throughout my break, they'll probably be okay with this decision.
I'll have some fairly regular posts at first. I need to get
you all caught up on Maisy's life over the past couple months, have a
few things that never got posted, and have some new insights and ideas
I want to share with you. I hope to finish my Shedd Animal Training
Seminar series, too, but it may take awhile.
Finally, I'm going
to spend less time making sure the blog is “perfect.” No more
endless editing and polishing before the post goes up. No more
worries about how the type is justified, or the placement of
pictures. Or heck, even how well the pictures relate to the post.
Sometimes I just have a cute picture. Less perfection also means
there will likely be more humor and even an occasional swear word.
I'm sorry if this offends you (truly!), but I want my writing to be
more authentic!
Okay, that's it!
I'm excited to be back, and relieved to have found ways to reduce the
self-imposed pressure of blogging. Let's see where this wild ride
called life takes us!
14 comments:
Glad you're back, whatever format that might take!
I'll take any Maisy I can get!
Nicky
Welcome back to the blogosphere! Change is, for the most part, good. just ask maisey!
I'm looking forward to hearing more about Maisy!
I think it's important to blog how you want to, and on topics that you love. I was so happy to see your post this morning, and will certainly stick with you even if you aren't MWF or what have you!
Good to have you back :)
Welcome back! I can't wait to read more of your experiences.
Crystal never apologize for what you do. I love your blog and particularly like the reports on conferences as I can not attend them living in Australia. Sorry to hear about your divorce. You are a very good writer and a few typos are not an issue.
Regards Louise Kerr
Elite Pet Care & Education - Australia
I'm glad you're back, in any shape or form I can get you!
Oh goodness, there's really no need to stress over making a blog "perfect"! :) Glad to see you back.
Self-imposed pressure is right! Glad to see Maisy's face again :)
Good for you. Your journey with Maisie continues, but all the earlier steps are still on your blog for dog people to discover. P.S. My reactive malamute, Travvy, is now ARCHX, RL3, and P-CRO-IV. Not bad for a team that almost flunked out of their first Rally class. ;-)
Welcome back! I just like hearing about how you have fun with Maisy dog, whether that's sports, walks, or just being able to chill on the sofa! When you do get a chance to write a couple sentences about a seminar or book, that's wonderful, but you don't have to take the time to do a whole post. Also, random pictures of Maisy are the best!
Yay!! Welcome back! I so relate to this post, as I have to many, many of your posts. I'll be happy to hear from you whatever it may be you share or not! As for unrelated pictures, alas, that is really all my blog is anymore! LOL Oh well, it's just for me anyways. Welcome back!
Glad to see you're back. I've gone through a bit of a blog purge over the last couple of months, but kept yours hanging around. Glad I did so.
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