My First Post: Just Jump!
This post was written on July 13, 2023.
My stomach hurts and I’m frozen with fear, looking over the edge of dark, murky water. What’s holding me back? I don’t have everything organized and all set up…I don’t understand how all this works…What if I make a mistake or don’t do it the “right way”? I’m inhaling a really deep breath…and about to plunge down into the pool of blogging. “Just jump Dvora!” I say to myself as I push off the side, breath held tight, and I reel down with my eyes squeezed close and splash into the cold, dark water. I come up for air, gasping a big breath, and look over to the closest edge of the pool, and quickly swim over to the side. I did it! Now I can start implementing all those how-to-start-a-blog skills I’ve been working on all summer, and slowly but surely, like when we’re learning to swim, I’ll work on my strokes, my breathing, my strength, stamina and coordination, until I start swimming across the pool. I have a swimsuit on but I’m not sure about the fit, and I have to figure out how to use these googles, fins and swim cap. But I’m not in hurry, yet if I wait until I know everything about how to swim and what the best equipment to use is, the best pool to swim in, water temperature, weather, etc., I’ll never get in the pool and start swimming. So today is the day I start. It’s the beginning of what I hope will be an exciting and enriching journey. I’ve got lots of ideas, knowledge, experience, curiosity and enthusiasm to share. I predict that I might be able to share this journey with others, and so I that’s another reason why I’ve decided to just start at this point. I don’t feel very well-prepared, I’ve just started learning about blogging a few months ago. But know this about me right away–I’m honest and authentic, and while I have high standards, I’m no perfectionist, and I’m not vain. I hold space for vulnerability, which is what I’m feeling right now. I’m not sure how my blog will turn out, and if it will be successful, or even what successful might mean (well-read? profitable? valuable?). But I am really excited about this experiment, everything I will learn, how I will contribute and serve, and with whom I will connect. With each step, this experience will become more colorful and enriching, sometimes “sunny”, maybe not always…
Why am I doing this? Starting my 60’s and starting a blog? Well, I’ve been “posting” about my plant-based lifestyle on social media for a while now, cultivating my “digital presence”. My husband and I recently took a trip to Paris, and I excitedly shared my research and planning with my daughter in the months and weeks leading up to our trip. She kept insisting that I should start a blog, saying “Mom, all your research and experience is so valuable! Other people would love reading and learning about it and it would be so helpful for them.” After a few times of her suggesting this, I asked, “So what would this really look like?” and we started talking more about how and what I have to say, what my blog might look like, and the idea of a blog took root in me.
Another reason why I could consider starting the blog is because of a change in my work life. I am a School Nurse and for many years have been working half-time. With the Covid pandemic, our school districted had Federal funding that was used to support an increase in my position to full-time. With the expiration of those Federal funds, the School Nurse position is returning to half-time. When one door closes… During the quarantine period of the pandemic, I took the opportunity to immerse myself in many trainings and certifications (plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine health coaching), which I will share in later posts. I have great passion for these areas and hope to expand my practice in them. I think this blog will be a great place to start!
What does anyone do when they want to find out about something? Google, of course. I’m also a big podcast listener. First, I landed on The Minimalists website and started learning. Then I found Amy and Jennifer on The Ultimate Blog Podcast. I started listening to their podcasts and learned that they have an online program that leads you through the steps of starting a blog. I really love Amy and Jennifer’s focus on “community over competition” and how they continually focus on encouraging their listeners to consider what value they can add to their readers’ lives. I began listening to their podcasts and felt so much energy and enthusiasm. But I decided I’d wait until after we got home from our trip to Paris.
As a School Nurse, I get to enjoy “summer vacation” for two months. After we returned from Paris in early June, I woke up in the morning to take my online yoga class. I took the hand-me-down laptop from my daughter’s college years (10+ years old!) into my “exercise studio“, where the computer died. I took that as a sign from the universe telling me that I need a new laptop, especially if I was going to start this blog. So off I went to the Apple Store to get my new Macbook Air. What could be more inspiring and motivating for a new blogger than a new Macbook! Over the next week, I continued to listen to more Ultimate Blog podcasts, and then just four weeks ago, decided to sign up for The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp. This online course has 14 units with a total of 68 sections to complete that navigate you through the steps of starting a blog. It includes 4 weeks of support provided on a messaging app called Slack. Many of the sections of the course are courses in themselves, and one needs to reserve quite a bit of time to devote to this. While I officially finished the course today (in 4 weeks!), I have only just begun to assemble the building blocks of this blog. It’s all one big, exciting experiment and I have so much to learn. I hope to share so much of that with you, including the struggles and challenges as well as the successes.
So, thanks for joining me on this ride, whether it’s from the beginning, or looking back at the route I have been traveling.
I’m glad you’re here reading my blog and I hope we’ll stay connected!
