I created this blog in March 2014. My son (The Seeker’s Dungeon) had been urging me to start a blog for some time. My answer was always “maybe some day”. Then one day, almost out of the blue, I decided to do it. My main motivations were that I wanted to be able to post responses to his Dungeon Prompts Challenges and I wanted to surprise him. He definitely was surprised when he received my first submission. Neither of us had any idea how much the blog would become a part of my life. I love blogging.
Last night, I reached a major milestone. While I slept, the number of pages that have been viewed on my blog passed:
100,000
Never would I have dreamed I would reach that mark. Many thank to each of you who have taken the time to read my posts and to contribute to my life in this way.
Today’s prompt from The Daily Post is called “Key Takeaway” and the instructions are:
Give your newer sisters and brothers-in-WordPress one piece of advice based on your experiences blogging
This is a topic very close to my heart. First of all, I’d like to welcome all of you who are new to the blogging world. I have found blogging to be one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and I hope the same for you.
My advice is to celebrate when friends, relatives, colleagues and members of your personal community are interested in your blog, but don’t count on it being the case. See blogging as a way of building an additional community for yourself, as a way of sharing information with like-minded people, and as an opportunity to communicate with those for whom your thoughts and experiences are an exciting new world.
I have learned so much from reading other people’s blogs and I have developed new and treasured friendships within the Word Press community. Blogging has expanded my own world and I know that others have learned from reading mine. I will be forever grateful to my son Sreejit (The Seeker’s Dungeon and Where Love Meets War) for encouraging /pushing me to start my blog.
My journey with blogging actually began when my son Sreejit started his blog, The Seeker’s Dungeon, in September of 2012. I was so impressed by his poetry and his other posts. He had written Of Mind or Matter by then, so I knew he could write well, but the breath of his knowledge was far greater than I realized. I loved reading the supportive comments he received from the Word Press community of bloggers and I could see his confidence growing exponentially.
In August of 2013, Sreejit started Dungeon Prompts. Every Thursday he would send out a prompt encouraging bloggers to “explore the recesses of your mind and get back with a poem, story, essay or creative offering.” I enjoyed reading the posts the other bloggers submitted. He also encouraged those who didn’t have blogs to include their responses to the prompt in the comments section. From time to time, I also participated in that way.
Later in the fall, Sreejit started encouraging me to start my own blog. At first I said “No”, and then later changed it to “Someday.” Soon I had to admit to myself that I was getting interested in the idea.
Towards the end of February of 2013, I had an exciting idea. I would start my blog without telling Sreejit I was going to do it. He would find out when I responded to his Dungeon Prompt for the week. The topic that week was Gratitude. What a perfect subject for me to address in my first post!
My intention in starting my blog was to have a way to participate in the Dungeon Prompts. I didn’t have a clue how much I would end up loving it. Blogging has become a major part of my life. So why do I blog?
Because we have blogging in common, I feel so much more connected to my son. Our relationship has strengthened and deepened and we “talk” through email or “What’s App” several times a week.
When I taught at the University of Washington I published lots of professional articles. After I became a psychotherapist, I wrote numerous personal growth articles. During my first decade with Amma, I wrote three books about my journey with her. At that point I felt finished with writing. In fact, there were times when I thought I had no more to say. Thanks to my blog I am writing again. And I find I have plenty to say!
I have learned so much since I started blogging. I have delved deep inside myself and my own past and as a result have grown significantly. I have taken Word Press Blogging 101 and 102, Writing 101 and 102, and Photography 101 courses. And I have learned from reading posts written by other bloggers.
I’ve had numerous readers tell me that they appreciate having the opportunity to learn from reading my blog. So through my blog I teach others.
I have always been a creative person, primarily in crafting. Blogging has given me an opportunity to be creative in so many different ways; in my writing, through photography, and even by writing a bit of poetry.
When Sreejit started blogging, I was impressed by the community of people that he became involved with. The same has happened for me. I have blogging friends from all over the world. I have even met one of them in person!
So I blog as a way of connecting with my son and because it is an opportunity to write, learn, teach and be creative. It has also given me a chance to create a larger community for myself.. But most of all, I blog because I love blogging! Rarely has an activity given me so much pleasure. Thank you for introducing me to the world of blogging Sreejit.
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”-William Shakespeare
Living, Learning and Letting Go 