Sometimes it is difficult to be 100% transparent on social media. Maybe some of you thought, “Where did Lisa go?”. Yet, whether or not my followers noticed, over the course of 2015 and into 2016, I decided to dial back my social media presence. Don’t get me wrong, I have met some fantastic friends through social media and people who I now know I can depend on even when I’m off the internet. Yet, with blogging I struggled to find a balance with my time. Having a full-time job outside the house that requires on-call and being a mom and a wife means that my work weeks are often full. When the weekends rolled around, the last thing I could bring myself to do was create a blog post on my less than stellar running schedule or the latest tips and gear. The blog atmosphere was also changing and becoming slightly more competitive than I cared to witness. So, something had to give.
Being a military family, we often do not have the luxury of being surrounded by our friends and families and establishing roots. With our current duty assignment and the rare opportunity to be less than an hour away from our hometown, I truly wanted to take advantage. And, as cancer crept in to our family yet again, I needed to spend time as much time with my family as I could… So, I did. I don’t regret for a second spending less time on a social media, watching my blog’s growth stop, or the “missed” opportunities. Instead, I’m so thankful for the time we lived so close to home. My daughter will now hopefully have memories of the family I grew up with as she established relationships with her cousins and spent plenty of hours playing, laughing, and receiving the love of her grandparents and great-grandparents.
So, this past weekend, as I said good-bye to Poppy, one of my favorite people, I knew that my time over the past few years was well spent. There are no regrets. I’m so thankful I made the time to just be present and there for them.
From my personal Facebook page:
And, as I adjust to a new normal, I truly hope to revive this space on the internet as I feel inspired to do so. I have lots of ideas and things I would love to see for this space. Yet, it will likely still be in my own time. Thank you all for sticking around, through the ups and the downs.
And, thank you for listening,
Lisa
Love you my friend <3
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Hi Lisa – So sorry to hear of your loss. It sounds like you were very fortunate to have Poppy in your life and that his lessons will live on in you and your family. As far as taking a break. Good for you! Recently, I have found the more I do just what I like (whether it is "popular"), the more opportunities seem to come my way. Hope to see you around when you have time 🙂
Thank you! I plan to be back and more regular in posting. I just need to wrap my head around how much time I would like to devote to blogging again. I definitely want to make sure that I don't get sucked back in to the black hole… if you know what I mean 😉
Time spent with family always trumps being on social media!
So sorry for the loss of your Poppy Lisa.
Thanks for understanding 🙂 And, thanks for always taking the time to check in – even when I am sporadic with my posts!
So sorry to hear about the loss of your Poppy. Your words about him truly show just how special he was to you. Take all the time you need for family and to mourn his loss. Everything on here can wait until you're ready.
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Thank you so much 🙂 And, for always sticking around!
I miss you around the interwebs. Since we bonded over so much of what we loved and hated about blogging, I miss your perspective…and value it so much. I also totally understand your frustrations and wanting to take a step back. You'll never regret time with family or taking care of yourself. Sending you so much love as you grieve the loss of someone so important to you. Hugs to you my sweet friend!
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Thanks Christine. I know, I miss our chatting about the blogging scene too. We need to revive our text sessions 🙂
Love you my friend! <3
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Thanks for always listening!
and that goes both ways!
I was so sorry to hear about your loss Lisa, but totally understand your situation in terms of social media. You were wise to chose family and friends over anything internet related. It's the relationships we have that are far more important than the stuff we talk about on the internet. We too have witnessed the change with bloggers and alot of it is not pretty. Thankfully we don't have blog income on purpose so we can take things as they go. Ho
Thank you Pam. It's so tough to see the blogging landscape change so drastically the past few years.
((hugs) to you my friend:) So sorry to hear of your loss. Time does go so quickly, every second needs to matter. Life is too busy sometimes and we need to remember to slow down and catch each moment with our loved ones before time runs out. Everything will fall into place.
Thank you Kara! Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in things. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes things like this to slow you down a bit.
Thinking of you my friend!! XOXO
Thanks Sue!
I'm so sorry, Lisa! I'm sending you and your family good wishes and happy thoughts as you work through this. Take as much time as you need – we'll all be here when you get back 🙂