On Being Lonely, Blogging and Love.

Five years. Do you remember where you were five years ago?  What you were doing?  What your plans and dreams were?  Me?  I was the Mama of two girls, ages eight and ten, and they were my entire world.  My dreams?  I wasn’t able to dream much beyond the next vacation.  I was feeling….stuck. 

One very cold night in February I found myself sitting alone on the couch, reflecting.  I had just turned down a very sweet job offer and I had no one to talk to.  Those happy little girls of mine were tucked into their beds, my Hubby was off on a golf trip, and I was alone.  What had I done?  I had given up a career I loved to stay home with my babies.  I know for them and for me it was the right choice, but   “Career Girl” gone “Stay At Home Mom”? Gulp.  Those words stuck in my throat.  Not because I wasn’t proud of my decisions, not because I was afraid I’d made the wrong choices, because I needed something else.  Dare I say I was lonely?

I started to write.  I wrote my heart out!  Then, I started a blog.  A place where I could vent, emote, and connect with other Mama’s.  I started How To Survive Life In The Suburbs.  I threw my heart and soul into this blog, and it saved me.  Each article I wrote felt right, each “like” and comment I received gave me a validation I didn’t know I needed.  More then that, each e-mail from other Mama’s out there thanking me for speaking the truth, laughing and crying with me, made me smile.  We were all in this crazy world together; laughing and living our lives as best we could.  We were surviving, we were thriving, and it was going to be okay.  

This month I celebrate my 5th Blogging Anniversary and I am a little bit proud. 

I started out in this “space” truly writing only for me.  I wrote anonymously and loved every second of it.  It was easy to pour my heart out when there was no fear of neighbours, friends or family judging me for my innermost feelings and thoughts.  The only problem, it was not possible to take these connections further until I let a little bit more of my real self though.  So under the advice of a few professionals who wanted to work with the “real me” and some new on-line friends who said “Go for it girl!”,  I plastered my face up on my blog and let the whole world in.  This change in direction made my road through this blogging life both more intimidating and more exciting.  I’m grateful for every incredible experience that has been thrown in my lap and even more thankful for the one’s I worked my butt off to earn.  Yes, I am grateful to a blog.  Blogging has changed my life.

These past five years, I’ve made real true friends and maybe even some frenemies.  I’ve shed some tears, and been blessed with some incredible adventures.  I’ve had dreams come true, and even been allowed to dream new dreams. 

Today, I want to say thank you.  Thank you to the readers who have been with me for five years!  Thank you to those who joined me somewhere along the way, and to my newest readers, thank you and welcome!  I need you to know that each click, like and comment you leave on my little piece of the cyber world is appreciated!

To try and thank you for your love, your comments and giving me a little bit of your time each day I’ve lined up a few giveaways!  Yes!  For the next few weeks I’m throwing my very own FIVE YEAR CELEBRATION!  Woot!  During this celebration I will be hosting a few giveaways of some of my favourite things.  Starting tomorrow I will present to you the tried and the true, the brand new to me, and maybe even the greatest of escapes from these suburbs!  Thanks for sticking with me in my little corner of the suburbs,  I can’t wait to see what happens next!  XOXO