Almost six weeks off from blogging, and I’ve survived to tell the tale!
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I took a (somewhat unintentional) blogging hiatus!! (And no one noticed! LOL)
Except for my post for our first Rare Disease Day (and a quick post about the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer!) I have not posted on this site since my dbrand iPhone Skin Review way back on February 1st.
This wasn’t something I had planned, it just happened.
Almost six weeks of nothingness have passed here on Fatherhood: Reloaded.
I’m not sure why I took this break, not really. The emotions leading up to my son’s first birthday could be to blame. I could blame work. I could give many excuses, but they’d all feel empty and just that, excuses.
If I look back and be honest with myself, I just burned myself out a bit.
I run this goofy thing alone, so outside of a random guest post, everything on here comes from little ole me. I worked my ass off on here for the three months of November, December of last year, and January of this year. Traffic for the site showed as each month’s traffic grew from the previous month’s, up to January being the busiest month traffic-wise in the site’s brief history.
For whatever reason, the bottom dropped out for me once I reached that milestone in January.
I admit the site has suffered from my lack of involvement. Traffic is down over double-digit percentages. Social media activity is rather bare until I post a photo of my son. (which is TOTALLY fair!) It’s just been one of those things. I’ve had this site up for 17 months now, and after the year I just experienced, I guess I hit a slump.
You know what, though? That’s ok.
I’m still learning how to navigate this whole blogging world into which I have my toe dipped into. I can’t decide if or when a post should be more of a personal piece than an article or an editorial. That internal debate is one of the top things I struggle with when I’m writing.
Do I sit here and write about how it is ok to take some time to relax and regroup, or do I catch you up on what has been going on?
It is a quandary to which I simply do not have an answer, nor do I have to!
As the saying goes; I is who I is.
We’ll start with: it’s ok to take a break from your website or blog now and then. We all need to recharge. Mentally, physically, emotionally. It’s a part of this whole being, a human thing that we find ourselves in the middle of, whether it’s singular or all of the above, it’s a part of this whole being.
If you’re a blogger and you debate on taking a break, look at all of this as a love story. (hear me out).
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “if it is meant to be, it will be”.
Treat your blog the same way, because, in a lot of ways, it is a relationship.
You’ll have your ups and downs. You may even have break-ups in the middle. Ultimately, though, if you truly have a passion and a love for what you’re doing, then eventually you’ll find your way back there.
That may read corny, but let’s face facts; I’ve found my way back here.
Let us Catch Up
So, what does that mean exactly? What’s been going on?
Well, first off, as I mentioned, my baby boy turned 1 a few weeks ago!! A big, emotional event. Something that I wasn’t confident was in the cards for us this time last year, but we made it, and we’re continuing to move forward.
Therapies, doctors’ visits, and more just continue to keep on rolling, and I’m trying my best to get more comfortable in the role of an Arthrogryposis Dad. A dad to a disabled son. A dad to a rare disease baby.
I’m still a work in progress on that one, but I’m getting better at being more outspoken in these new roles. I have this platform where I can share stories and insight, so I’m going to try to do better in that.
Dad Bod on the Rise
Speaking of work in progress, along with not writing or updating the site, I also quit taking care of myself and my health. My physical condition took a bit of a back step. I found myself the heaviest I’ve been in over half a decade the other day, and it was the punch in the gut I needed.
So, along with jumpstarting my ole writing fingers again, I’m also taking my ass back to the gym. So expect to see an uptick in health and fitness-related posts as I share this journey, so I have no choice but to keep myself in check.
Gamer I am Not
Keeping myself in check also means making more effort to find ways to emotionally relax beyond what I gain in going to the gym. I considered meditation but opted for activities more my speed in keeping my brain focused. That’s right, I bought myself an Xbox (Series X). First gaming system I’ve had for myself in over a decade, and let me tell you, I suck! I even thought I’d go in feet first and grabbed Elden Ring as my first game. It’s truly painful to watch.
Let’s just say I won’t be starting any kind of Twitch stream anytime soon, although my wife thinks it would be entertaining. I can’t be the only one that talks to the games like I’m in some weird social setting, right? I’m sure you’ll be seeing a game post here or there. If nothing else, to simply make fun of my 41-year-old ass trying to keep up.
LEGO Time
My other form of mental break I’m taking back up is LEGO. I don’t plan on buying any kit I can just find, I’ll be particular, and I can’t afford awesome kits like their Titanic., I’ve built James Bond’s Aston Martin, and have Thor’s Hammer Mjolner waiting in the wings. Not to mention, I plan on hopefully grabbing that Back to the Future Delorean kit here in a few weeks.
While I’m not sure writing a full, step-by-step breakdown and review of a LEGO set is my cup of tea, I’m sure if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll see photos at some point.
To Bourbon or Not to Bourbon
I also considered starting a bourbon collection. Being from Kentucky, it seemed like a natural evolution in my adulthood, however, to properly do such a thing requires a level of spending I’m not comfortable doing. So we’ll sit on the few bottles I have and simply find time to enjoy them.
For Real Life?!
I’ve also become completely engrossed and obsessed with the cartoon Bluey. (If you know, you know)
So there you go. A quick recap of the past few weeks is all summed up in a quick list. Nothing super exciting or Earth-shattering. Just is what it is, and what it is will probably have an influence on the content that I post on here.
That’s ultimately the point of all this, really. To simply say thank you to the site’s visitors, readers, and you. Along with a promise to make this site something you want to visit and revisit.
Again, thank you.
I’m back!