Inside: Friends, it’s been a while! Here’s an update on what I’ve been up to and plans moving forward for this blog.
What I’ve Been Up To, The Sequel
I am writing this post like a long overdue letter to a friend. I pray this somehow finds those who wish to reconnect, as well as those who have never dropped by before.
Recently I revisited a past favorite food blog, I Breathe, I’m Hungry, and was struck by the similarities she’d gone through with her website–although she previously made a living from hers. The pandemic had pretty much stopped folks from seeking out her keto recipes as they were more interested in comfort food. She also moved and started a business supplying flowers for a local market while remodeling an older home. (We hope to be doing the older home remodeling in the very near future!) Anyway, in so many ways I, too, felt the pandemic changed my blog for me, as my posts became fewer and fewer.
At some point in the following years, the Lord made it clear to me that this was not how He chose for me to make money. Yet He still wanted the blog to go on. So all of those “Do this to increase blog traffic” and “Try that to rank higher in the search engines” courses never worked for me.
So here’s what I’m left with–I’m not writing for algorithms. I’m writing for God and for me, meaning I will let Him guide me as well as writing about topics I enjoy. Not that most of the posts on this blog don’t reflect that criteria, but many of them also reflect the, “I need to try all the things to rank higher in the search engines” stuff.
From now on, I will leave internet searches comfortably in the Lord’s hands.
And what that also means is I will not be so worried about being perfect–I know, I posted about that once. And I’ve gained ground in not letting perfectionism overtake me, but, again, the “jump through this hoop, jump through that hoop” to make the algorithm fairies happy certainly added a great deal of stress. I really don’t care about that anymore. As I said, it’s in God’s hands.
So look for posts about what we’re doing for our antique mall booth and writing about some of my favorite subjects like classic TV and living in rural America. Yeah, I’ll still do some recipes if the mood strikes. Maybe reveal some simple craft ideas. Gardening, sure. Reflections on what I think God is showing me. And I’ll keep doing the 12 Posts of Christmas because, frankly, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!
Oh, and if you’re wondering about my word the for year 2024, it’s TWIST.
Until next time.
Amy