Thursday, April 16, 2009

Exercising My Demons

I've not been posting a lot lately. There's a lot to say about "why." It started with writer's block. I would find a subject to write about and become completely inarticulate. Posts, even bad ones, would not flow. Then in turned into a disinterest in posting about anything.

This blog, first and foremost, has been a place for me to channel my frustrations about my health. Even posts having nothing to do with my fibromyalgia often flow from it. The blog is my outlet. It's been a purpose in a purposeless existence.

No, I'm not trying to depress you.

My mother-in-law, the wise woman that she is, suggested something profound to me recently. The writer's block is a good thing. I forget her exact words, but it boils down to this...

I needed to talk and now I don't.

What does that mean? This blog has been like a therapist in my life. It was my "keep a journal" project. I had finally found the right job, our lives were headed exactly where we wanted to go, things were great and then my health made it all go away. I gave up "everything" to get healthy and focus on the things that matter. It was a very painful decision, but continues to look like the right one.

And so it happened. I stopped having to talk about "it."

Unfortunately, that's also meant that I don't need to vent about the economy, comment on the new "first dog," or share my sadness on the passing Harry Kalas. I see this writer's block as a good thing, but it's also created new concerns.

This blog has always served three purposes.

1) A place for me to work through things, "exercise my demons."
2) A place for my family & friends to check up on us.
3) A place to write.

I'm done exercising my demons through this blog. I can find other ways of writing. But what about my readership?

My plan is to go silent from blogging for a month or so. There are other things I've been devoting my blogging & feed-reading to - mostly exercise.

Exercise - daily - focused - even when I'm in a lot of pain or suffering from fatigue - but careful exercise has become the next major step in managing my health. It's the one post I still have left in me, but doesn't need to be written.

Simply put: the Wii Fit is an amazing piece of technology.


When/if I return, this blog will probably undergo a face lift and become focused on things like "vacation photos" and blurbs about home-improvement projects. I may even look for another online home.

This is not goodbye from blogging. This is shalom.

4 comments:

A Pocket Full of Posey said...

drop an e-mail every once in a while so I don't have to check if you are alive.

King M said...

Wait, you mean I now have to actually be a good correspondent to know what's going on with you and the Lord Chancellor?

King M said...

So the demons are now in top shape and no longer require exercise?

Sorry this struck me... do you intend "exercise" or "exorcise" (which is the more typical thing to do with demons)?

LRNs said...

OK, so this was both intentional and an oversight. I was going with the word-play & thinking about exercise. I wanted to say I've "exorcised my demons" but am now focused on "exercise." So, I wanted "Exercising My Demons" for the silliness of it.

BUT...

I honestly didn't consciously think about the spelling. So, to answer your question...

Yes and no!

So, you totally got the word-play and it's intent. But I totally didn't worry about the spelling. Thus, as usual, I'm really cleaver & really stupid all at once.