Well, lookee here. I’m still standing in spite of the keyboard warriors who love to tell me what to write, think, be.

Now mind you, I have been blogging a lot more than these past 13 years on this platform. I am an OG blogger. Community activism is why I started blogging in the first place, because blogging gave a platform when mainstream/traditional media wasn’t interested because if it’s not bloody literally it’s not particularly sexy to them a lot of the time. And I should be specific about mainstream/traditional media, because it’s not necessarily the reporters themselves who aren’t interested in our local issues, it’s the producers/editors, and those who yank their chains, and hold their leashes.

It started on WordPress with my breast cancer blog. Now there is that blog this blog and my gardening blog. 

I am not a compensated blogger, I am not a safe space mommy, Disney, faux influencer blogger. I am just myself.

Being a blogger for all of these years, I have learned a lot about human nature and a lot of it is not pretty. But much of it is inspiring at times.

Sometimes I am serious, sometimes deliberately irritating, other days a wee bit snarky and sarcastic.

There are people who have told me they would never be my friend because I am a blogger. There are the disappointing people who have been fake friends to use me because I am a blogger. Then there are all the amazingly good people with whom I have connected with because I am a blogger. It’s truly a mixed bag of human nature.

I have discovered that the price to speaking my truth is there are people who attack me like it is a blood sport. And it doesn’t really matter what I’m writing about.

And I always love when these people who treat me like I’m a human punching bag meets pincushion get upset if I write about it? Sorry not sorry, wasn’t put on earth to be a doormat.

It is endlessly fascinating all these years later that people seem to almost be obsessed about whatever words are coming out of my mouth. Especially since I am a non-compensated blogger just scribbling along as the spirit moves me.

I think part of this is because of the way politics has gotten so polarizing in this country. I have discovered you can’t speak your truth without somebody wanting to cancel you every 5 1/2 seconds. And honey, I’m not referring to fake news. That’s no one’s truth. 

And then there are people that are obsessed with why they don’t know me personally? Why do you have to know me personally, I personally have zero desire to know everyone.

There are many of you I have enjoyed getting to know through being a blogger. However, there are some of you need to give me a break sometimes. I am not your obsessive little project. And I am not available 24/7/365.

What a long strange trip it has been.

Today I will pat myself on the back, just a little bit.

Cheers to me.