The western skyline glowed gold against the stark silhouettes of evening. Another day had flown by, taking with it any chance of catching up after my temporary defection. A day filled with a seemingly endless filling of forms and necessary admin that wrecked my writing wrist and allowed me to get nothing else done. By nine o’clock, dusk was closing in, I was ready for bed, yet had a full day’s work ahead of me… and it was never going to happen.
It was about this time that WordPress decided to wish my blog a happy birthday. It is seven years since I first created the Echo, and for the last five of them, I have posted pretty much every day.
The first year was decidedly poor… a couple of posts, but a whole six views! Even a couple from people I didn’t know! The next year, I wrote a little more and was rewarded with five and half thousand views. You could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather. These days, I do a little better at posting and, last year alone, the blog had well over a quarter of a million views. And I find that reassuring, faced, as I am, with a small but daunting mountain of catching up and work that must be done.
Not everything happens overnight. Nor, I remind myself, does it have to. Some things may well need doing immediately… others can wait a day or two if they must. Most of the expectations I am seeking to meet and all of the pressure I think I am under are of my own making. Just like the blog, I’ll get further faster by taking my foot off the pedal and running at a steady, and rather more sedate pace.
It is all too easy to feel that the world revolves around the things we have on our minds and metaphorical plates. While our world may do so, the rest of the world generally has other and better things with which to occupy itself. Therefore, I will do what I must… and the rest can wait until I have slept. And then I have friends to hug before they leave the country once again… and they are more important than anything I have on the overloaded to-do list.
And as I made that decision, the last of the day faded in the west, leaving behind its afterglow and a final gift in the sky, as if to remind me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel… but unless we take time out to look, we may never notice.
Happy Blogiversary Sue! The place wouldn’t be the same without you ❤
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I can’t see me going anywhere any time soon…not voluntarily anyway 😉
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Glad to hear it! 🙂
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😀
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Pingback: Blogging, birthdays and great expectations… – The Militant Negro™
Thank you.
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This piece gives me hope, Sue. First year blogging and so far have been pretty bad at it. Must try harder. 😉
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Slow and steady gets you there, Lynn 😉
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Beautiful imagery and reflections Sue.
Keep up the good work
(Just has to be reblogged)
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Thank you very much, Roger 🙂
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You’re welcome Sue 😃
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🙂
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Reblogged this on heroicallybadwriter and commented:
Sue’s blogs are filled with wonderful imagery and deep thoughtful reflections. Well worth following
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They say the second year is the difficult one… or is that cricket? Well done Sue. Stoically persistent (or is that your readers!?)
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May well be 🙂
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CONGRATULATIONS SUE ❤
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Thank you, Chris 🙂 x
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Happy anniversary Sue. That’s a beautiful rainbow, even more so as it’s in the evening.
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The last bit of light… it couldn’t have been better timed 🙂
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It’s truly lovely Sue.
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It was good to stand at the door and watch it glow 🙂
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🙂
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thank you for sharing 🙂 x
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Sue, you have been a shining example ever since we started blogging, and long may you continue!
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Thnk you, Jaye … I plan on being around a while longer 😉
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Glad to hear it! xxx
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🙂 x
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happy birthday, sue and here’s to many more wonderful posts ahead
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Thanks, Beth 🙂
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Happy birthday? Or is it Happy Anniversary? Whatever we call it, I’m raising a glass to you for keeping up with your thoughtful posts! 🙂 I hit my 4 years a few days ago…
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Time really does fly, doesn’t it? 🙂
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Sure does, Sue!🙂
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🙂
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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Thanks for sharing, Viv xxx
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Happy Blog Anniversary, Sue! Hugz to you and Ani! @v@ ❤
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Hugs back, Viv xxx
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you 🙂
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Happy blogaversary Sue. Gorgeous rainbow! ❤
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Thanks, Debby…it was gorgeous 🙂 xx
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Apparently so! 🙂 xxx
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🙂 xxx
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I always drag Mrs Widds out to watch the rainbows. 🙂 … happy Blog-O-Versary. 🙂
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I can’t resist them myself 🙂
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What a fine blessing on your blogiversary, Sue. Here’s to many more!
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Thanks, Eliza 🙂
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Congratulations on your site’s anniversary. You deserve the congratulations. You’re one of those people’s who works so hard, all honors to you!
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Thanks, Marilyn.
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A belated happy bloggerversary to you!
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Thanks, Tori!
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Happy Blogging Birthday, Sue! From a reader’s perspective, I can’t imagine not having your blog pop up each day for me to read. Thank you for those reading pleasures! 😍
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Thanks, Jennie. I can’t imagine not writing either 😉
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Thank goodness! 😀
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😀
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I love this post. I am in this zone, before the readers of my blog start to appear I think. Feels like I am writing to myself. Trying all sorts of new things, but so far, no followers of that blog. Glad yours is working so well now. Amazing!
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Your blogging platform is not as ‘follower-friendly’ as it might be, Anne. You need to link your gravatar to your blog so that people can find you. As it stands, when you leave an interesting comment, no-one can click your name to read more about you and your work. Blogger is a good platform, but the community is what makes blogging really interactive and for all its problems, WordPress encourages community better than most other platforms, with the ability to ‘like’ comment, follow and share made easy.
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Thank you so much, Sue. I will read up to figure out how to do it. I agree, I don’t have followers that I am aware of so I came to think I have not written something people want to read.
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Happy Birthday to your blog, Sue. Wishing you many more Happy Blog Birthdays. Thanks for all those #writephoto writing prompts. I wouldn’t have enough stories for next book without them.
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Oh, I do hope you’ll come over to promote it, Hugh! xx
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I’ll be in touch, Sue. Thank you. xx
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Womderful, Hugh! xx
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